• Texan punished during third round of Hero World Challenge• Reed says he was practice swinging and denies it was deliberatePatrick Reed found himself embroiled in a rules controversy during the third round of the Hero World Challenge, with the former Masters champion issued with a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie in a sanded waste area. Footage of Reed’s actions on the 11th hole at Albany went viral on social media, with rules officials informing the 29-year-old of his punishment during a five-minute post-round discussion. Reed claimed to have been totally unaware of the affair until that point.
As per the rules of
golf, players can ground their club in waste areas but cannot improve their capability to play a shot by “removing or pressing down sand or loose soil.” Reed remains adamant he did nothing wrong knowingly and that a single camera angle, from behind and which twice shows the Texan flicking sand during practice swings, is deceptive.