Dear Linda,
Is there a breach of rules for the following:
1. I accidentally mark and lift the ball of my opponent on the green
2. My opponent accidentally stepped on my line of putt or my mark
3. Fixing a spike mark on the green not in the line of my putt
Thank you.
Lou Lou
Dear Lou Lou,
1. You are not entitled to lift your opponent’s ball in match play without his permission. Rule 20-1 states that “a ball to be lifted…may be lifted by the player, his partner, or another person authorized by the player.” You would be penalized one stroke under Rule 18-3b (Ball Moved by Opponent in Match Play). If this were a stroke play event, there would be no penalty [Rule 18-4].
2. There is no penalty if your opponent accidentally steps on your line of putt or your mark. There is not even a penalty if YOU do the same. However, if any damage is caused, the player has the right to restore his line of putt to its original condition. You are always entitled to the line of putt you had when your ball came to rest [Decisions 16-1a/12 and 13].
The ruling is considerably different if your opponent deliberately steps on your line of putt. Whether the intentions were good (e.g., flattening a spike mark) or bad (e.g., making a spike mark), the penalty is the same – loss of hole in match play, two strokes in stroke play. You also run the risk of disqualification if the Committee decides that what you did was intended to give another player a significant advantage, or put another player at a significant disadvantage [Rule 1-2 and Decision 1-2/1].
3. You are entitled to fix a spike mark on the green that is not in your line of putt, since doing so clearly will not assist you in your subsequent play of the hole. In fact, you are encouraged to fix spike marks and other damage to the green. My advice would be to do all your repair work after everyone has holed out. That way you will avoid any arguments with players who are unaware of this rule [Rule 16-1c].
Linda
Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
