Ask Linda #253-Penalty for one or two?

Hi Linda,

In a 2-player better ball, match play competition, if one player violates a rule where the penalty is loss of hole, does the team lose the hole or is the player that violated the rule out of the hole and the other player allowed to continue and represent the team on that hole?
Thank you.
Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

1. If one player hits a wrong ball (even if it is his partner's ball), the player is disqualified from the hole but his partner incurs no penalty.

2. Both players will lose the hole if either one breaches Rule 4 (Clubs), Rule 6-4 (Caddie), or any Local Rule or Condition of the Competition where the penalty involves an adjustment to the state of the match.
a. An example of a breach of Rule 4 would be if one player started the round with more than 14 clubs.
b. The caddie rule would be breached if a player were to use more than one caddie at any given time.
c. An example of a violation of a Condition of the Competition would be if a player were found to be using different brands when a one ball condition was in effect.

3. If one player breaches a rule that assists his partner's play or adversely affects an opponent's play, both the player and the partner are penalized. For example, if a player picks up a loose impediment in a bunker, he is disqualified from the hole. If his partner is also in the bunker, and lifting the loose impediment assists the partner’s play, then the partner is also disqualified from the hole.

4. In all other cases where a player's violation causes him to lose a hole, the penalty applies to the player only, and not his partner.

This information can be found in Rule 30-3, Four-Ball Match Play. “Four-ball” is the official designation for what is more commonly called “better ball,” or “better ball of partners.”

Linda
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