Patrick Reed was assessed a two-stroke penalty for improving the lie on his golf ball in the No. 11 bunker on Friday at the Hero World Challenge.
PGA TOUR CommunicationsPatrick Reed was assessed a two-stroke penalty for violating Rule 8.1a (4) — “Removing or pressing down sand or loose soil” on No. 11.
NBC cameras caught Reed taking two practice swings while simultaneously scooping a little sand out of the ball's vicinity, thereby improving the lie.
Reed offered his side after his round, per Dylan Dethier of Golf Magazine:
Dylan DethierPatrick Reed has been penalized two strokes and says the camera angle made the sand incident look worse than it was
Dylan DethierReed said he was at the front of a footprint, and the sand he took was at the rear of the footprint — thought if there was a different camera angle, he might not have been penalized.