Infamous 'burner account' at centre of new Patrick Reed cheating storm
Controversial golfer Patrick Reed was at the centre of another ‘cheating’ scandal over the weekend, but fans have also accused him of running a burner account on social media to defend himself.
Reed, who last year was involved in cheating scandal when fans accused him of improving his lie, was again embroiled in controversy at the Farmers Insurance Open on the weekend.
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The American hit the ball off the fairway at the 10th hole and the golfer deemed the ball did not bounce and was embedded in the ground.
However, controversy erupted when Reed took it upon himself to move the ball, before officials arrived.
This prompted fierce criticism on social media with many accusing Reed of ‘cheating’, which he fervently denied.
But in a further twist, fans have also accused Reed of running a burner account on Twitter.
In an unusual series of events, Reed tweeted - in all caps - a claim that Rory McIlroy had done the same thing as him on the 18th hole.
However, he claimed the Northern Irishman didn’t even call an official over to make a ruling.
But this tweet was promptly deleted, only to resurface on another account ‘useGolfFACTS’ minutes later.
This sparked fans to accuse Reed of running a burner account to defend himself.
So... this just happened pic.twitter.com/W3OEMenUpv
— Jacob Hallex (@jacob_hallex) January 31, 2021
Oooo Patrick Reed forgot to flip over to the burner. Whoopsie! https://t.co/soNlTjpYHo
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) January 31, 2021
Patrick Reed burner account exposed, couldn't have happened to a nicer guy 😂😂 https://t.co/exGnSf5gsk
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 31, 2021
If there was a draft of star athletes having a burner account, Patrick Reed would have easily been one of my top 5 picks, if not my 1st pick overall.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) January 31, 2021
Patrick Reed is the gift that keeps on giving https://t.co/dOM6w83wSW
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) January 31, 2021
Between Patrick Reed’s burner account and GameStop this has been a banner week for older relatives asking gen yeet to explain the internet
— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) January 31, 2021
Despite accusations, there is no proof Reed runs the account.
Reed incident sparks ‘cheating’ accusations
The controversy started at the Farmers Insurance Open when Reed’s shot veered off course at the 10th.
Replays showed the ball bounced once before it landed in some thick grass.
However, controversy erupted when Reed took it upon himself to move the ball.
Reed put it down in a different position and called over the rules official.
The rules official concurred the ball broke ground and granted Reed embedded ball relief.
Despite facing no penalty, fans and even CBS analysts questioned whether Reed should have moved the ball before officials arrived.
If that ball was ruled embedded, every player should call a rules official to check every shot in the rough. #PGATour
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) January 30, 2021
@PGATOUR it’s absolutely incredible how much Patrick Reed believes he is not cheating. Surprised he doesn’t throw his back out shoveling all that BS. #patrickreed @PaigeSpiranac
— MJ (@BankersLoveNaps) January 30, 2021
Despite the furore, Reed denied he had cheated and the officials had no issue with the incident.
“When we’re out there, we can’t see everything,” Reed told CBS.
“When that happens, you have to go by what the volunteers say, what the rules officials say. When all comes push and shove, we feel like we did the right thing and the rules official said we did it absolutely perfectly.
“With that being said, we moved on and just continued playing.”
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