There are local rules specific to courses and events, so there is the R&A and there is the gift within the body of the rules for local rules specific to situations. So the rules are not the same for everyone all the time.

That is an important distinction, but in this weekend's incident with Patrick Reed, he did not break any rules by not calling an official over to examine the ball.

The reason people think he likely cheated is because the ball was probably (and by probably, I mean definitely) not embedded. He just picked it up and then called an official over to ask him if he was good (after probably creating a hole with his finger). What was the official going to do?

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Freedom just around the corner for you. But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?

Agreed. I was addressing the point the rules are not the same for everyone ALL the time in every situation.

I agree it probably wasn’t embedded in its own pitch. Could be that it was embedded in a pitch from a previous shot. Either way, the rules allow him to lift the ball to find out.

The on course official says he followed the rules. The tournament officials say he followed the rules. People don’t like Reed, for good reason, so they’ll assume he cheated again this time, no matter what the officials say.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Local rules are specific to the course or a tournament and would be the same for everyone playing, and how to write local rules is extensively covered in the rules of golf.

The rules of golf are put together jointly by the R&A and the USGA. They are pretty much the same for everyone all the time.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

When I played HS golf, you'd declare you're playing a 2nd ball (and call the ball into play with a unique ball # or marking) through holing out and mark both scores if different scores were made. We lived in the age of digital cameras so a parent or coach would take a picture to show at the end.

95% of the time somehow the score would be the same for the hole and not matter.

I seem to recall if it was a situation without a camera in our foursome we'd try to reach a 100% consensus on something reasonable and move on with it.

If playing friends and money was on the line, we'd generally let the person lift/clean/place. We didn't want your Coke/chips money from a shit situation.

Replying to last.

I was flipping around, looking for anything to watch. Saw that Reed was winning on the PGA Tour and flipped it away as fast as my thumb could move. Thought, "No way I'm watching that f-ing cheater win."

Imagine my surprise the next morning to read the news that he pulled another dick move.

The PGA Tour has a problem that it won't deal with. When the other top players are openly calling him out and saying that he is "protected" by the Tour, there's a serious problem.

So when the rules official said it was fine .....?

Did you read the last sentence? This would be an example of the players saying he is protected by the PGA

And Rory?

What did he do wrong exactly?

So, what he did wrong is that he went ahead and took action he was allowed to take, but he should have known that he is under increased scrutiny and that a pro in that situation should probably make sure a rules officials was close by to make it clear he was in the right.

He doesn’t seem to have done anything illegal, although some people think maybe he created a divot where there wasn’t one. There’s no real evidence of that, except that people just don’t trust him.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I think if there had not been a replay showing the initial bounce then I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. There could also be the remote chance that the ball actually came down and just happened to land in an indention created by another ball earlier in the day/week (the ground was soft ...). However, after watching the replay and looking at the lie, I find it hard to believe the ball was really imbedded.

drn92

Yeah, when the rules official says he didn't do anything wrong, it's time to move on.

I was disappointed with the righteous indignation spewing from the NBC commentators. Faldo went so far as to say it lessened or tarnished the win. I normally like old Nick, but I thought it was a dick thing to say. He didn't break any rules, and he won by a bunch. It didn't tarnish the accomplishment at all IMO.

Yeah, I don’t necessarily disagree. I was just making the point that there’s really no evidence, just his well deserved reputation.

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Slowguy

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No disagreement from me there.

drn92

One question...
Didn’t he get his caddy to clean the ball? Isn’t that against the rules in that situation?

He picked up the ball, checked to feel if there was an indentation (which he couldn't see because of the thick grass), then placed his ball to the side and told his caddie not to touch it, and called over the rules official. The rules official also had to feel for an indentation because he couldn't see, and he said he felt an indentation so Reed was entitled to relief one club length from that indentation.

Once he got a ruling that he was entitled to relief, he told his caddie he could clean the ball. I think the rule is that he wasn't allowed to clean the ball until it was determined that he could get relief. He lifts the ball to check to see if it was embedded, and can't clean it. If it wasn't embedded, he'd have to put the ball back as it was. Per rule 14, once you've identified that relief is allowed, you can clean the ball before you drop.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Watching it several times and reading body language, intonation of speech, hurried gestures, etc.:

Why did he touch and move the ball in a hurry if he didn’t think he needed the ‘advantage’?

In the best light, it was a bully dick move. Creating facts and then coercing/bullying the official who had no choice but to go with the new situation.

Either way, the official didn’t look good there either. A total towel.

So good for him to take any advantage he can get away with (forgoing gentleman behavior), but certainly not admirable or a showcase moment for the sport.
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The rules official had to make a judgement with only the information/evidence Reed provided. If a. he was able to see video replay or b. Reed left the ball as it lay and called for a ruling I dont think relief would have been granted.

Exactly.

The chatter that he didn’t do anything wrong should be, “the rules official and PGA Tour can’t prove he did anything wrong.”

But what he almost certainly did do wrong, given the video we’ve now seen, is he lifted a ball that wasn’t embedded and then claimed it was, or that it might have been, right there... where he was poking holes in the ground.

That ball didn’t bounce into an embedded lie.