Ask Linda #124-Match play confusion

Dear Linda,
We had a situation at my club a few weeks ago. We had 2 match play competitions in the same group. They were not in teams. A plays B and C plays D. A and B are putting when A gets B to move her marker. A putts and marks her ball, B putts and finishes, with B winning the hole. Then player C says: 'B' you didn’t replace your marker, you get a penalty. I am not sure if A had picked up at this time, but she had indicated she was conceding the hole. The question is, does C have any right/obligation to get involved ? I assume if A has picked up then it is too late to make a difference, but if not, can she continue to play?
Thanks
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

In a more perfect world, it would be best to play individual match play events unaccompanied by another match. The situation you describe would never have occurred had A and B been playing by themselves. In the real world, most golf courses (especially public courses) prefer not to send out players in groups of two. So let’s jump into the real world and find an answer to your question.

The key lies in your statement that A indicated she was conceding the hole to B. Once a player concedes a hole, that concession may not be declined or withdrawn (Rule 2-4). Therefore, B won the hole. The time for A to question whether B had properly replaced her ball on the green expired when she conceded the hole.

The obvious moral to the story is that A needs to be more vigilant of her opponent. However, in my opinion there is an underlying etiquette issue here that needs to be addressed. As I have expressed in previous columns, golf is not a game of “gotcha.” If you notice that an opponent or fellow competitor has neglected to replace her ball in the correct spot and is preparing to putt it from the wrong spot, point out her error before she putts. This is a common courtesy and should be extended to all golfers, regardless of the closeness or intensity of the competition. A golfer who knowingly allows another player to incur a penalty by putting from the wrong place is violating the spirit of the game of golf.

With regard to Player C (the player who pointed out the error), she is not part of the match between A and B and is under no obligation to point out the error. However, there is no rule that prohibits her from voicing her observation. If she made her statement before the hole was conceded, then it would be up to A and B to decide whether there was a rule violation and resolve the matter. I would recommend to any player in C’s position to point out the error if she could do so in time for the error to be corrected; otherwise, the most diplomatic route would be to say nothing at all.

Linda

Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.