Linda, suppose my ball is on the lip of the cup and another player hits a shot from off the green and a stone or mud or some other non-ball object knocks my ball in the hole. Since the rule says “may” and not “must,” can I consider it holed even if the other player was my partner (except if the object belonged to my partner)?
Lou
Dear Lou,
If your ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty to anyone and the ball must be replaced [Rule 18-1]. A stone or other object dislodged by another player’s stroke would be considered an outside agency in your scenario.
However, neither wind nor water is an outside agency. If the wind blows your ball into the hole, or a stream of running water floats your ball in, your ball would be considered holed with your last stroke.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
