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Patrick Reed denied free drop: 'I guess my name needs to be Jordan Spieth'

Patrick Reed is doing a fine job playing the wrestling heel of the PGA Tour, a move that’s suddenly not quite as necessary now that we’ve got Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Phil Mickelson all returning to prominence. But still: you gotta commit to the role, and Reed — who’s nothing if not committed — is more than happy to get in the face of anyone he believes is doing him wrong.

To wit: the final round of last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, in which Reed played himself out of contention, a round whose low point came at the 11th hole. Reed’s ball fell amidst both bushes and cables, and Reed sought relief because he would have to be standing on cables to play the shot. (Cables and the like are movable obstructions, and in most cases, players are able to take a club-length relief.)

Not this time. The rules official didn’t permit Reed to take any relief, and the following exchange ensued:

“Anyone else would get a drop out of there any day of the week,” an unidentified off-camera voice says.

“I guess my name needs to be Jordan Spieth, guys,” Reed says to the crowd.

Despite the tag on that tweet, this doesn’t seem to be a shot at Spieth, but rather at the fact that the Tour theoretically has different sets of rules for different players, and Reed isn’t in the most-favored category … at least in Reed’s mind.

Reed recorded a double-bogey on the hole, so apparently he didn’t get the relief he wanted. He went on to finish T7, well behind winner Rory McIlroy. Reed’s still waiting for that first major win, but he remains the game’s unchallenged trash-talk master.

Patrick Reed, no Jordan Spieth. (Getty file photo)
Patrick Reed, no Jordan Spieth. (Getty file photo)

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

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