Dear Linda,
While playing, the opponent had an excellent putt, but it did not drop into the cup. It was just on the edge. She stood over it for a few seconds, giving shade, and surprise, it fell into the cup, Is this correct?
Thanks,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Yes. When a ball is overhanging the lip of the hole, a player is permitted a reasonable amount of time to walk up to her ball, plus an additional 10 seconds to determine whether her ball is at rest. If the ball falls into the hole within that time frame, it is considered holed with her last stroke. If it falls into the hole after 10 seconds have elapsed, she must add one penalty stroke to her score [Rule 16-2].
There is no Rule prohibiting the player from casting her shadow over the ball while she waits 10 seconds. I would recommend that those 10 seconds be counted aloud so as to avoid any dispute over how many seconds have elapsed should the ball fall into the hole.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
