Would Things Have Been Different For Patrick Reed Under The Old Rules Of Golf?

That would be the pre-January 1, 2019 rules.

Alistair Tait believes so in recoiling at the soft glove treatment Reed received thanks to a change in language.

Reed called for a rules official because he believed his ball was embedded. Ninety-nine percent of players would have waited for the official to arrive on the scene. Not Reed. He lifted the ball and moved it.

The current rules give Reed the benefit of the doubt that he acted reasonably. Here’s an excerpt from the new rule book that helps exonerate Reed:

“The player’s reasonable judgement will be accepted even if, after the stroke is made, the determination is shown to be wrong by video evidence or other information.”

The professional golf tours must have celebrated when that line was written, when the new rules came into effect. In most instances now they can just accept a player’s word and move on. No need to hand out too many pesky penalties.

By receiving no punishment for his crime of rushing to his ball and lifting it from underneath that huge lip, Reed used both the rules and the fear of modern players to his advantage. You have to tip your cap. But when these things keep following him around and he’s seen as having gotten away with something, the new rules ultimately let him and the game down.