Ask Linda #5 - time for search

Dear Linda,
Willy hits his drive into heavy rough to the right of the fairway and also hits his provisional ball into the right rough. Is he allowed five minutes to search for his original ball and five minutes to search for the provisional, or just a total of five minutes?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Maybe I should call this column “Stump the Chump” instead of “Ask Linda!”

Actually, this exact problem is addressed in the Decisions book (27/4), and I will quote the answer for you here: “If the two balls are so close together that, in effect, both balls would be searched for simultaneously, a total of five minutes for search is allowed. Otherwise, the player is allowed to search five minutes for each ball.”

But please remember your golf etiquette, Lulu. Tell Willy that he should signal the folks playing in the group behind him to play through.

Linda

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