‘Kind of pisses us off’: Players react to Patrick Reed’s controversial win
SAN DIEGO – Although there were plenty of quiet comments among players after Patrick Reed’s controversial drop on the 10th hole during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open, few wanted to speak out publicly on the incident.
Following his runner-up finish, Tony Finau was asked if he was comfortable with the ruling, to which he responded: “Yeah, at the present time, the circumstances they were in, I think all the procedures that they went through were proper. The official deemed that it was an embedded golf ball, so he took his club length and took relief.”
Reed, who closed with a 68 for a five-stroke victory Sunday at Torrey Pines, reiterated that officials had reviewed the replay and ruled that he had not violated any rules.
But at least a couple of players seemed skeptical that he did everything correct.
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Asked if he would have picked up his golf ball like Reed and placed it in another spot before a rules official arrived to review the drop, Xander Schauffele said he would not have.
“I would wait for an official. He did everything by the book according to the official and everyone stood by there,” Schauffele said. “The talk amongst the boys isn’t great, I guess, but he’s protected by the Tour and that’s all that matters, I guess.”
Lanto Griffin went a little deeper: “Golf’s a game of sportsmanship and it’s tough to put us in the spot to call him out because we weren’t there, but at the end of the day I think 99 percent of the golfers out here, if it’s in question one way or the other, they’re going to go the other way, not taking a drop, it didn’t cross, that type of deal.
“So, it’s tough to see, it’s sad, kind of pisses us off, but it’s the way it is. Hopefully something changes and come to a conclusion.”