Sledges coming for Reed

Cup crowds urged to let loose

GOLF: Rejecting Patrick Reed’s excuses, Australian ace Cameron Smith expects Melbourne crowds to stick it to the American at this week’s Presidents Cup as the fallout continues from the 2018 Masters winner’s cheating scandal in the Bahamas.

Reed was caught violating the rules during the third round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on Saturday (AEST).

He copped a two-stroke penalty after TV cameras caught him making improper swings in a waste bunker during the third round of the Tiger Woods-hosted event.

Reed was sanctioned for flattening out sand behind his ball with two practice swings but insisted he didn’t improve his lie, although he conceded he had moved sand and therefore violated the rules.

The world No.17 defended the practice swings by insisting camera angles had made the violations look worse.

“I think with a different camera angle, they would have realised that,” he said.

“If it was from the side, you would have seen that with the back swing.

“It was not improving the lie because it was far enough away from the golf ball.”

But Smith, set to make his Presidents Cup debut at Royal Melbourne this week, refused to accept Reed’s justification.

“If you make a mistake maybe once you could maybe understand, but to give a bit of a bulls--- response like the camera angle ... that’s pretty up there (as inexcusable),” Smith said after finishing his Australian Open campaign.

The Queenslander echoed fellow Australian Marc Leishman in saying the crowds at Royal Melbourne were likely to sledge Reed.

“I hope so,” Smith said. “I don’t have any sympathy for anyone that cheats.

“I hope the crowd absolutely gives it to not only him, but everyone (on the American team) next week.”

Smith did not question Reed’s character, only his rules infraction in the Bahamas.

“I know Pat pretty good and he’s always been nice to me, so I don’t want to say anything bad about him, but anyone’s cheating the rules, I’m not up for that,” he said.

Smith also warned crowds against crossing the line when needling Reed.

“I’m sure if it did get out of hand, I know I would definitely, and everyone on the International team, would tell the crowd to settle down a little bit,” he said.