I don't think we're all having the same conversation.
Some of us think that the process followed was legitimate. The spotter misspoke when stating the ball didn't bounce, but she genuinely believed what she said. Reed followed an acceptable process. The official ruled fairly. No one should be penalized.
I'm in that group.
Others believe that the drop was suspect. That Reed claimed a ball was embedded, when it plainly and clearly bounced gently to its final resting spot. That he picked it up before anyone else could examine the lie, and moved it a couple yards away so that the official could poke the ground directly where Reed claimed that it lay, rather than actually looking at, you know... the ball lying in its lie.
I'm also in that group.
I've never heard of moving a ball out of its lie to examine its lie, nor have I ever seen a ball embedded in ankle-deep rough off a two-foot bounce. And I've never needed to call in a rules official to "let him make the call" to figure out if a ball is embedded... or rather, to be accurate - if a ball WAS embedded 45 seconds before the official got here and before I moved the ball out of its lie. I'm sure the official felt that lip where Reed told him to poke. There also wasn't a ball lying in it when he did.
Obviously the only person who really knows what happened is Patrick Reed. I think the scrutiny he faces is a small price to pay for the millions of dollars he has won in this game where he's been caught cheating, on camera, on multiple occasions. Even if I were head of the committee, I wouldn't penalize him. But do I BELIEVE him, or any of his Twitter aliases? LOL no.