Hi Linda,
I should like your advice on the following. If a player has holed a putt, or a chip, from off the green and the ball is resting below the level of the hole or at the bottom of the cup, I believe from the definitions it is classed as holed.
If, however, the player then pulls the flagstick out of the hole thereby causing the ball to come out of the hole as well, is this a penalty?
We see many tournament players taking particular care against this happening, but is it actually against the rules?
Thanks,
Lou
Dear Lou,
If the entire ball is below the level of the lip of the hole, then it is holed [Definition of Holed]. There is no penalty if the ball comes out when the flagstick is removed.
If the ball is leaning against the flagstick and part of it is above the level of the lip, it is not holed. This is when you will want to carefully bend the flagstick away from your ball so it falls into the hole. If you are not careful, and the ball pops out when you remove the flagstick, then you must place it on the lip of the hole with no penalty and then putt it in [Rule 17-4].
Linda
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