Patrick Reed, who is tied for the lead at the Farmers Insurance Open, picked up his golf ball before a rules official could arrive, claiming he was seeking relief because it was embedded — despite replays showing that the ball had first bounced.
Third-round co-leader Patrick Reed found himself dealing with another rules issue on Saturday at the Farmers Insurance Open when he sought relief for an embedded ball — that television replays show had first bounced — and then picked up the ball before a rules official could arrive. Reed, the 2018 Masters champion who had cheating accusations dog him after an incident at the 2019 Hero World Challenge, had pulled his approach shot from a fairway bunker into the left rough at the 10th hole at Torrey Pines in San Diego. A ball embedded anywhere through the green except for sandy areas is entitled to a free drop, which is what Reed sought. But replays showed the ball had first bounced before settling into the rough. CBS analyst Nick Faldo questioned how a ball could embed — or plug — if it had first bounced.
