Dear Linda,
You’re the best!
Last weekend I was in a two-man scramble. Playing the par 4 18th hole we were on the green in two, about 30 feet away. We putted once, and then had a three-foot putt for par. Both of us missed and had a 7 inch putt for a 5. My partner hit the putt, babied it. Realizing it wasn't going in, he hit it again (while it was still moving) about 3 inches from the hole into the cup. I said that gives us a 6 and I lost my turn to make the 7 inch putt. We put a 6 on the card and turned it in. We missed the money by 2 strokes...we needed to make that three-foot par putt.
Thinking about it later, when he hit the moving ball, he committed a violation. Since that hit wasn't a legal stroke, I should have been able to attempt the 7 inch putt and hopefully made a 5 on the hole.
I turned in an incorrect scorecard and should have been disqualified.
If he had been playing his own ball and hit the moving ball, it would have been a two-stroke penalty and he would have to putt from (3'' or 7") for an 8 (maybe) on the hole.
Did I think this through correctly, or am I still wrong?
Thanks for your blog, Lou Lou
Dear Lou Lou,
I have to preface my answer by reminding everyone that scrambles are not an official format under USGA rules. You will not find rules for scrambles in the official rulebook.
That being said, scrambles are a popular golf tournament, and the rules of golf as well as the rules for the scramble should be observed.
There is generally a rule in most scrambles that advises players that once the ball is holed the score stands. Players who miss a short putt must mark their ball, rather than hit it into the hole, so that their partner has a chance to make the putt.
When your partner hit the ball into the hole, you lost your opportunity to putt. He was putting for a 5. Hitting the moving ball into the hole was the team’s 6th stroke. He incurred a two-stroke penalty for hitting a moving ball [Rule 14-5]. Your team’s score for the hole was 8. You would not be permitted to try the putt, since the ball was holed. Since you recorded a 6 for the hole, your team would be disqualified for recording a score that was lower than what you took on the hole [Rule 6-6d].
If you were unsure how to score that hole, you should have presented the facts to the Committee and waited for their decision before signing your scorecard. You were also entitled to attempt the putt yourself under Rule 3-3 (Doubt as to Procedure) and then allow the Committee to decide. They would have told you that you were not permitted to try the putt after your partner holed out, and that your score for the hole was 8.
Linda
Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
