Thanks to Patrick Reed’s rules violation in last week’s Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods has inherited a massive headache he didn’t need, and the upcoming President’s Cup has become something more than a yawner for the average golf fan.

In case you missed it, Reed, who was near the lead at the time, was assessed a two-stroke penalty after the third round for improving his lie in a waste bunker. Not once, but twice TV cameras locked in on him taking a practice swing that moved sand from behind his ball.

Depending on who you believe, the violation was either inadvertent or it was a flagrant act of cheating. Reed didn’t call the penalty on himself and didn’t know about it until PGA officials spoke with him after the round

Since then, all hell as broken loose in the normally genteel world of golf. Led by brutally harsh criticism from Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, the already controversial Reed has been branded a cheater. President’s Cup captain Woods and others on the team are being forced to circle the wagons around the Houstonian.

Avid golf fans will probably remember the stink Reed, aka Captain America, created at last year’s Ryder Cup when he didn’t get the pairing he wanted. He spent the next week slinging mud and calling out teammates and captain Jim Furyk.

For his part, Reed is taking little responsibility and blaming the latest attacks on him on bad camera angles and an unfair reputation. Part of that reputation comes from being accused of cheating in college, and from refusing to share in his Masters victory with his mother and dad in what is a disturbing family relationship.

Here’s part of what the outspoken Chamblee had to say about Reed and how the cheating allegations impact Tiger’s President’s Cup team.

“Their DNA as a team has been altered,” he declared. “To defend what Patrick Reed did is defending cheating. It’s defending breaking the rules. The specter of somebody in their midst who so flagrantly broke the rules is a problem. Look, they (Tiger) made a deal with the devil when they put him on the team.

“This was flagrant. No way, no camera angle you could look at…anybody in the golf world who watched it, it was repugnant video.”

Players on the opposing International team have thrown gasoline on the fire in an obvious attempt to stir up fans at the Royal Melbourne playing site in Australia.

“He brought this on himself, so I can imagine he’s going to have a tough time,” said Louis Oosthuizen. “It looked like a very stupid thing to do. It’s gonna be a tough one to get rid of.”

“I don’t have sympathy for anyone who cheats,” said Cameron Smith.

Reed, as you would expect, has defiantly stuck his chin out and vowed he’s not going to let the issue or the fans impact him in the slightest. Woods, for his part, has tried to downplay the uproar as much as possible, implying that Reed didn’t willfully violate the rules.

As of this writing, Tiger, who is a playing captain, had not announced his pairings. The guess here is that he’ll take the hit and put himself with Reed for this afternoon’s first matches, which air at 5 p.m. on Golf Channel.

Bottom line, for perhaps the first time ever, the President Cup, which the United States leads 10-1-1, offers a compelling reason to watch. It will be airing in prime time nightly through Saturday.

CHIP SHOTS

West Orange-Stark ex Michael Arnaud tees off Thursday in Orlando in the 72-hole final stage of the Korn Ferry Q school. Arnaud, who is guaranteed at least conditional status, is one of 150 players trying to earn full-time Korn Ferry playing privileges.

He’ll need to finish in the top 10 for that to happen, but there are benefits to those who place in the top 20 and top 40…

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus 2 ball at Babe Zaharias, the team of Ted Freeman, Roger Koch, Tony Trevino and Ron Overstreet won the front with minus 4. On the back, there was a three-way tie at minus 3 between teams captained by Kenny Robbins, Dwayne Morvant and Craig Geoffroy…

The Super Saturday 2 ball at Zaharias saw a tie on the front at minus 2 between the team of Keith Mullins, Derron Owens, Larry Johnson and Ronnie Hicks and the foursome of Robbins, Price Youngs, Gary Fontenot and Keith Marshall.

On the back, there was also a tie at minus 3 between the Robbins team and the team of Mark Lawson, Randy Monk, Adam Noel and Buddy Hicks…

The Friday 2 ball at Zaharias saw a sweep by the team of Bob West, Don MacNeil, Johnson and Harrell Guidry. They finished minus 3 on both sides …

Thursday’s 2 ball at Zaharias also produced a sweep, with the team of Mike Brown, Freeman, John Jessen and Pete Reobroi posting minus 2 on the front and minus 3 on the back…

Wednesday’s Babe Zaharias DogFight was played in an all-points-count format. Placing first with 31 points was the team of Morvant, Raymond Darbonne, Charles Leard and Paul Brown. Second with 30 points was the foursome of Calvin Landry, MacNeil, Ron Mistrot and Guidry.

Closest to the pin winners were Morant (No. 2, No. 12) ), Joe Gongora (No. 7) and Tommy Duhon (No. 15)…

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