Patrick Reed avoided being penalised after picking up his ball at the par-four 10th, believing the ball to be embedded in thick rough; Reed tied on 10 under with Carlos Ortiz heading into the final day at Torrey Pines
Sunday 31 January 2021 01:01, UK
Patrick Reed and Carlos Ortiz hold a share of the lead after an incident-filled third round at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Reed birdied the last to salvage a two-under 70 and move alongside Ortiz on 10 under, having lost his outright advantage soon after being at the centre of a rules controversy at Torrey Pines.
The former Masters champion was four ahead after reaching the turn in 31 but came under scrutiny when he pulled his approach from the fairway bunker at the par-four 10th some 50 yards left of the pin, with TV replays showing his ball clearly bouncing before finishing in thick rough.
Reed believed the ball had embedded and picked up his ball before calling in a rules official, while cameras picked up the American telling PGA Tour official Brad Fabel on two occasions that his ball hadn't bounced.
Fabel accepted Reed's version of events and gave him free relief, despite TV pictures showing the ball had bounced, which the American took advantage of by pitching to 15 feet and holing the putt to scramble an unlikely par.
He bogeyed the 11th but saw the rules work in his favour again when his approach into the par-four 12th finished close to a sprinkler head, resulting in a free drop and another par, only for him to miss a six-footer and drop a shot at the 13th
Reed failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker at the 14th and three-putted the 16th to register a fourth bogey in six holes, before bouncing back from a missed three-foot birdie opportunity to pick up a shot at the par-five last and join Ortiz at the top of the leaderboard.
Ortiz had set the clubhouse target after four birdies in the last six holes helped him to a round-of-the-day 66, while overnight leader Viktor Hovland recovered from four dropped shots in a four-hole stretch on his back nine to finish with back-to-back birdies and stay within two of the lead.
Hovland sits tied-third alongside Jon Rahm, Adam Scott, Sam Burns and Lanto Griffin, while a two-under 70 leaves Rory McIlroy three off the pace and in a share of eighth as he searches for a first worldwide win since November 2019.
Who will win the Farmers Insurance Open? Watch the final round live on Sunday on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups from 4.15pm on Sky Sports Golf.
