Patrick Reed delivers verdict on controversial Farmers Insurance Open incident | Golf news

Patrick Reed insisted that he would not have treated his dispute over the Farmers Insurance Open rules any differently if he had faced the same situation again.

The former Masters champion posted a 70 at Torrey Pines to join Carlos Ortiz at the top of the standings, although his third round was eclipsed by an incident in the 10th par four.

Reed approached dense ground and was informed by a nearby volunteer that he had not bounced when he landed, prompting him to pick up his ball after determining it was embedded .

The world number 11 then called PGA Tour rules agent Brad Fabel to confirm he was entitled to relief and stood up to save the pair after making their free drop, with Reed only finding out after the round that his ball had bounced before stopping. on the grass.

“It’s unfortunate what happened today, but at the same time, it’s exactly what I would have done every time, exactly what all players should be doing,” Reed told reporters afterwards. round.

“Debes preguntarles a tus oponentes si han visto si es una pelota que rebota o si cruza una línea de peligro, siempre les preguntas primero y luego le preguntas al volunariens, y luego desde allí revisas para ver y en ese punto llame a funcionario de Rules.

“When you have the rules officers and they all come up and say you did it like a manual and did it exactly like you’re supposed to, then that’s all you can do. I mean, when we’re out there and playing, we can’t see everything.

“That’s why you trust other players, other opponents, you trust volunteers and rules officials. When everyone says what we’ve done is the right thing to do, then go ahead and move on. You know the best part is I still have a chance to win a golf tournament.

Reed, who has been harshly criticized on social media for his actions, was seen footage of the post-round incident by senior tournament director John Mutch, who reiterated that Reed was following the rules of golf correctly.

“It’s pretty clear from watching the video that he came within 10 yards of the ball and asked the volunteer standing there, ‘Did that bounce back? “And the volunteer said he didn’t bounce back,” Mutch told reporters.

“It was reasonable for him to conclude that it was his ball, that it wasn’t bouncing and then he had the right to see if it was embedded. Once it was determined that it was integrated, you would be allowed to clean it and you marked it as well.

“He also let his fellow competitors know he was going to do it, so he operated the way the rules allowed him to operate. In mild conditions we are given many rules for the sunken ball and we are not always called on all of them. “

Who will win the Farmers Insurance Open? Watch the final round live on Sunday on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with featured groups starting at 4:15 p.m. on Sky Sports Golf.