Patrick Reed was deemed to have improved his line of play in a waste bunker, and thus was penalized two shots.
The end of the third round of the Hero World Challenge was filled with temporary uncertainty for Patrick Reed, who ultimately incurred a two-stroke penalty for a pair of practice swings taken in a waste bunker on the 11th hole at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas. Reed was deemed to have improved his line of play with those practice strokes.
The additional strokes turned Reed’s second-round 72 into a 74. He started the day with a three-shot lead and could have ended the day within one shot of co-leaders Gary Woodland and Henrik Stenson, who stand at 13 under. The two penalty shots, however, bumped him to 10 under.
Reed was penalized for brushing sand away – officials ruled that it constituted an attempt to improve his line of play. Under Rule 8, which addresses playing the course as the player finds it, a player is prohibited from improving conditions affecting a stroke.
Hero World Challenge: Photo gallery
Under Rule 8-1a, actions that are not allowed include the removal or pressing down of sand or loose soil.
Reed did that twice, though the second movement is irrelevant.
After the round, Reed told the Golf Channel he had spent only four or five minutes with rules officials reviewing video of him taking practice strokes in the waste area.
“At the end of the day you gotta let things roll of your shoulders,” Reed said to Golf Channel. “Also at the same time, I have another whole round to play tomorrow.
“If I stew over something that I felt like I didn’t intentionally do, at the end of the day it’s my word versus their word. They weren’t standing there, they had a camera angle. Because of that, you don’t really have a choice.”
Intent did not come into play in Reed’s actions, according to PGA Tour rules official Slugger White.
“He could not have been more of a gentleman,” White told media after the penalty was assessed.
The action became a prominent story line throughout the third-round telecast, considering that Reed committed the action just after the turn. Rules officials did not address the penalty until the end of the round, though White acknowledged they would have addressed it immediately had it happened in the final round.
Hero World Challenge scores
| Position |
Player |
R3 Score |
To par |
| 1 |
Gary Woodland |
68 |
-13 |
| T-2 |
Patrick Reed |
72 |
-12 |
| T-2 |
Henrik Stenson |
68 |
-12 |
| T-4 |
Tiger Woods |
67 |
-11 |
| T-4 |
Justin Thomas |
67 |
-11 |
| T-4 |
Jon Rahm |
69 |
-11 |
| T-7 |
Chez Reavie |
69 |
-6 |
| T-7 |
Rickie Fowler |
72 |
-6 |
| T-7 |
Justin Rose |
71 |
-6 |
| T-10 |
Matt Kuchar |
70 |
-5 |
| T-10 |
Kevin Kisner |
70 |
-5 |
| 12 |
Webb Simpson |
71 |
-4 |
| 13 |
Xander Schauffele |
70 |
-3 |
| 14 |
Jordan Spieth |
69 |
-2 |
| T-15 |
Tony Finau |
69 |
E |
| T-15 |
Bubba Watson |
71 |
E |
| T-17 |
Bryson DeChambeau |
70 |
+1 |
| T-17 |
Patrick Cantlay |
71 |
+1 |
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