Patrick Reed got an extra-painful dose of the perils of links golf at the Scottish Open on Friday, when he not only found a pot bunker after missing the green to the right on the par-3 12th hole, but he also found himself right up against the steep bunker face with a fried-egg lie — that is, a lie in which the ball is half-buried in its own sandy impact crater, giving it the appearance of a fried egg.
It’s a notoriously difficult shot to execute for even the most seasoned professionals, but Reed elected to try to advance the ball toward the hole. Unfortunately, he failed to clear the lip, and the ball ricocheted back into the bunker — on the left side this time — settling into yet another fried-egg lie.
Reed’s second attempt to escape the bunker was further complicated by the necessity of standing outside of the bunker to address the ball, and alas, he was again stymied by the bunker lip. This time, the ball ricocheted back to nearly the same spot he was in two shots before. And the lie was … you guessed it! A fried egg.
Thankfully for Reed, the third time was the charm, and he managed to extricate himself from the bunker with his fourth shot. Perhaps even more impressively, he drained the ensuing putt to save double bogey.
Reed currently trails tournament leader Robert Rock by seven shots.
You can watch the entire 12th hole episode unfold below.
FYI. Links golf is hard. pic.twitter.com/Pxls6C0QmU
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 14, 2018
