Brooks Koepka Believes Patrick Reed Was Cheating at 2019 Hero World Challenge

Brooks Koepka thinks it's obvious Patrick Reed cheated during the Hero World Challenge back in December.

Koepka spoke out against Reed during an interview on SiriusXM on Monday:

Reed received a two-stroke penalty after he was shown to have used his club to clear away sand and improve his lie on the par-five 11 at Albany Golf Course in Melbourne, Australia. He was topping the leaderboard at the time, having gone 12-under up to that point in the third round, but Reed eventually finished third, two strokes behind winner Henrik Stenson.

There was a backlash to the 29-year-old's actions, with Reed firing back at accusations he had cheated. Reed felt the label was "not the right word to use," and the San Antonio native said he "wasn't intentionally trying to improve a lie or anything like that."

Koepka didn't share the same view, though. The man who missed out participating in the Challenge because he was recovering from knee surgery, told SiriusXM (h/t Golf Digest's Joel Beall, via Yahoo Sports): "If you look at the video obviously he grazes the sand twice and then he still chops down on it."

As well as offering a clear take on how Reed had attempted to bypass the rules, Koepka also compared his reaction to that of the Houston Astros, the Major League Baseball outfit accused of stealing signals en route to winning the World Series in 2017.

Koepka described how breaking the rules is the same as cheating, and how "there's no room for it."

Interestingly, the two-time US Open and PGA Championship winner also said he has seen similar incidents at other events from unnamed players. The 29-year-old drew the interview to a close by admitting he will speak out, rather than hold his tongue, if he witnesses other infringements in the future.

Koepka's straightforward assessment of Reed's actions, as well as the liberties other golfers may take, is timely in light of similar recent incidents where fair play and conduct have been questioned in other sports, including the scandal surrounding the Astros.

The NFL also saw further controversy involving the New England Patriots, when members of the franchise's production crew were reported by security for filming the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline, under cover of recording a documentary, ahead of a regular season meeting between the two.

Meanwhile, Premier League side Manchester City were hit with a two-year ban from European competition and a fine of £24.9 million by UEFA on Friday for violating Financial Fair Play rules.