Ask Linda #26 - hitting your opponent's ball

Dear Linda,
What happens in match play if I hit my opponent’s ball, and then she hits mine?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

The penalty for playing a wrong ball in match play is loss of hole. If the wrong ball belongs to your opponent, and she subsequently hits a wrong ball (most likely yours), it has no effect on the outcome of the hole, since you lost the hole as soon as you hit the wrong ball. On the other hand, if both you and your opponent happen to exchange balls in the course of playing a hole, and you cannot agree on who hit the wrong ball first, then you simply finish the hole with the balls exchanged.

In stroke play, there would be a two-stroke penalty imposed on each player who hits a wrong ball.

Linda

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