“I’m no cheat” insists Patrick Reed

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed has once again defended his antics during last week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, insisting: Don’t call me a cheat.

Reed, 29, has been widely condemned after footage of him appearing to improve his lie in a waste area during the third round of the Hero World Challenge went viral over the weekend.

His fellow pros Anne van Dam, Eddie Pepperell and Cameron Smith all rounded on the former Masters champion.

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Rory McIlroy is so far the only high-profile player to publicly give him the benefit of the doubt.

Still, Reed is unmoved. Speaking ahead of this week’s Presidents Cup in Australia, he said that the people calling him a cheat are wrong to do so.

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“It’s not the right word to use,” he said. “If you do something unintentionally that breaks the rules, it’s not considered cheating.

“If you’re intentionally trying to do something, that would be considered cheating, but I wasn’t intentionally trying to improve a lie or anything like that.

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“It’s just wrong, it’s just not right.”

Meanwhile, footage of Justin Thomas playfully mocking Reed during Presidents Cup practice at Royal Melbourne is doing the rounds.

Check it out below…