What do we know about Patrick Reed? First, he is an exceptional golfer who has won a major and eight other PGA tournaments. He has represented the U.S. on both the Ryder Cup and President’s Cup teams. He has arguably the best short game on tour. He is a fierce competitor who has a kind of bulldog tenacity to stay focused and perform in high tension situations. He is 30 years old, married, two children, born raised and currently lives in Texas, and has been on tour since 2011. Reed has also been accused of cheating at golf throughout his college and professional career, which he vociferously denies.
And now, another accusation at the Farmer’s Open this past weekend, which he won by five strokes. In the third round, as co-leader, he hit a wayward bunker shot on the 10th hole into tall rough near the green. After inspecting the lie he quickly picked up the ball without marking the original spot and called for a ruling before taking a drop. He claimed the ball had embedded on the fly without bouncing first, which, if true, would have been quite reasonable given the wet conditions after a heavy rain the night before. He then directed the rules official to feel the spot where the ball was supposedly embedded. The official confirmed he could feel the edges of the alleged hole which hadn’t been marked by Reed when he picked it up before the official arrived. Reed was given a free drop, without penalty, and proceeded to par the hole.
I had taped the event, and, in reviewing the original shot, it was clear that the ball did bounce once, perhaps a foot and a half in the air and then came to rest in the tall grass. Descending from that short height, I don’t believe the ball could have embedded. It would simply have nestled down deep in the grass, resulting in a horrendous lie.
I believe Reed sized up the situation very quickly, and picked up the ball almost immediately. In doing so, with his back to the camera, he may well have pushed the ball into the soft ground some creating a hole, just deep enough to have been considered embedded by the official. Given his background of cheating allegations, I believe Reed was fully capable of doing so. Since no one was close by to have witnessed the ball bouncing, Reed insisted it hadn’t bounced and so figured he had a good chance of getting away with his rouse. And it worked. No tears. No tangles. Only a lot of suspicious competitors claiming “There he goes again.”
As I’ve said before in this blog, I believe Reed is an obvious cheat and should actually be banned from the game for life. Professional golf, if nothing else, is a sport of honor, of self policing, that requires impeccable honesty and courage in making sure one is not improving one’s lie improperly and consciously. In this case, I believe that is exactly what Reed did, and, so, has besmirched the honor and integrity of the game.
Can I prove it? Indirectly, I can. I’ve been playing the game long enough to know that on a clear day after hitting a relatively short iron out of a fairway bunker, you can clearly see a ball bounce when descending into heavy rough. Your eye is intently focused on that ball and the distance is not so far that one could not see the bounce. So, yes, I think Reed saw his ball bounce and settle into the heavy rough. When no one else, including officials or playing partners claimed they’d seen the ball bounce, he got the idea that he could safely say it didn’t bounce, and then concoct a story that would get him a free drop out of a lie that could potentially have cost him a stroke or two. That led to all subsequent actions which were part of the deceit.
It’s a pattern with this guy. The officials were, for some reason, enabling him, perhaps even coddling him, since he’s a contrary fellow with a temper. And when you enable a golf cheat, he or she will continue cheating, each time perhaps more toxic than the next. The stakes are high in this game on professional levels. Careers are on the line. Income is unstable. Expenses are out the window. Family pressures. These days with a limited schedule due to the pandemic, even more pressure, and without on-site fans as witnesses, the temptations to cheat are legion and, for some, way too tempting.
I know it sounds harsh, but, for the sake of the integrity of the game, Patrick Reed should be banned from competing on any level. He is a toxic influence on this great and hallowed game.
Richard says
I don’t understand how he could do this. When you are leading a tournament and being under such scrutiny, how can you possibly take this kind of chance? Even a golfer on a low level like mine doesn’t improve lies unless you are playing to practice and not keeping or recording your score!
Stephen Altschuler says
A mystery, indeed, Richard. I believe it’s an automatic, compulsive thing with a cheater like this. His mind goes immediately to how he can get out of this situation any way possible, legit or otherwise. Reed could use psychotherapy!
Thanks for the comment.
MTW says
One other question, what kind of lie did he end up with after the drop, which from the knee was approximately 2 feet ?
Wasn’t the rough as penal where he dropped as where he picked it up from ?
Stephen Altschuler says
We don’t really know, do we? He picked up his ball before the official got there. I assume, yes, the lie was just as penal. So why did he pick it up prematurely? I think the Big Cheat was on. But who the hell am I? Just a blogger trying to keep this guy relatively honest in a sport where the only real authority around such matters is the player him or herself. It’s the honor system in its purest manifestation.
Thanks for the comment.
Yashi says
I whole heartedly agree with your assessment of Reed’s action and dishonesty and the cover up by the local pga officials on tv it seemed they were playing up to him and the field be dammed equally shameful and complicit
Stephen Altschuler says
Thanks for the comment, Yashi. It is a puzzle as to why and how the officials gave him such an easy pass on this conscious infraction. Golf has suffered for it.
Henry R. Altschuler says
As usual you are right on target. I also saw the event. This guy is a fraud. The game of golf is so special. The players call their own infractions. Without that trust the integrity of the game is breached and that is intolerable. He should be banned for life. Thanks brother.
Stephen Altschuler says
Thanks, Henry. Glad you agree. Reed is bad for golf, and golf should get rid of him ASAP before golf suffers anymore from his lies.
Reg says
Lets get this out of the way first. Reed is a dick.
McIlory 5 iron likely 210-220 yd shot. Watch the slow motion replay and mark on the screen where the ball disappears on the first bounce and then the second bounce. I did that 3 times. Very clearly two different spots. Check it out yourself.
So now the question is, can a ball embed or break the plane of the ground on a second bounce from 2.5-3ft (Reed) or 1.5 feetish (McIlroy)? If very wet (it rained very heavy the night before), substantially embed, no, but can it leave a dent, yes, especially with spin. It was lift clean and place on the fairway for a reason.
The science says an object falling from 3 feet will impact the ground at 9.3 mph or 15 km/hr (for the rest of the world). On that very wet ground, that will leave a dent. Thus when the Marshall felt a lip on Reeds ball mark, it confirmed the ruling. If the ground was not covered in snow I would test it out and post a video.
Reed should have replaced the ball after he checked it or called the Marshell over right away rather than place ball on grass 3 ft away, especially with his bad track record.
The camera guy was free to go any where. Reed did not try to hide.
On your review:
1. I disagree that he saw the ball bounce.
2. I initially thought he didn’t mark it. When he asked the Marshall where he needs to mark from, Marshall told him from the lie and he pulled a tee out from the ground and put it in where the ball was for his one club length.
3. The shorter the club the higher the bounce off the ground, not the other way.
4. Bounce was closer to 2.5 to 3 ft. Rorys bounce was closer to 1.5 ft. Yes hard to tell.
5. No he did not push his ball down to make a mark. IMO.
Both followed the rules.
Reed is still a dick.
Stephen Altschuler says
Fair enough, Reg. You make a good case. I start and agree with your basic assessment: Reed is a dick, and take it from there. And with that assumption, I don’t believe that ball could have made a dent in such a thick grass covered area. On the fairway, yes, but not there. My Holmsian deduction: Reed made the dent. That, along with his spurious past patterns, brings me to recommend a sentence of banishment from the realm of golf. The prosecution rests.
Thanks for commenting, Reg.
MTW says
Has it been confirmed he could have seen it bounce by his line of sight?
Has he been fined previously by PGA? I know they prefer to keep that information “quiet,” particularly since Tiger used to be the most fined player out there – cursing, spitting etc.
No question in my mind Reed is a jerk but they’ve suggestion of permanently barring him and taking away his ability to make a living without a suspension of some sort seems awfully harsh.
From what I’ve read, there are a small # of guys out there who cheat and not surprisingly, they are well known to the other players and caddies.
( I personally witnessed a top 10 money list guy drastically improve his lie at a pretty big tournament)
Cheating at golf is indefensible but due process shouldn’t be ignored. If Reed cheats as much as alleged he’ll eventually screw up so blatantly that there will be consequences, especially since everyone, including galleries (soon to return ) is watching his every move.