Patrick Reed fires back at his critics

Patrick Reed has hit back at his critics, insisting that he gets a “raw deal”.

The former Masters champion faced the media after the final round of the Hero World Challenge, just 24 hours after footage of him appearing to improve his lie in a waste area went viral. 

Reed, 29, was assessed a two-shot penalty at the end of his third round on Friday after television cameras caught the incident in the hazard on the par-5 11th hole. 

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After his round, the American said that it wasn’t intentional but that he accepted the penalty after reviewing the video evidence. 

European Tour star Eddie Pepperell and Solheim Cup winner Anne van Dam were amongst the many people to call Reed out. 

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The penalty came back to haunt Reed as ended up losing the tournament by two shots. Afterwards, he mounted a robust defence of himself. 

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Golf Digest’s  Brian Wacker, on site in the Bahamas, reported that, in reply, to a question about whether or not he gets a raw deal, Reed replied: “Of course I do. At the end of the day you can only control what you do. You can’t control everyone else. As long as I live life the way I feel like I’m supposed to, that’s all I can do.”

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson won the tournament by a shot from Spain’s Jon Rahm, with Reed third, two shots ahead of event host Tiger Woods.