Hi Linda,
This is a good question and I have run into it and gave the
player relief but I later found out that the Asian beetles should have been
treated as loose impediments. I heard this happened at the US Women's Open this
year.
Lou
Dear Lou,
Hmmm… I’m guessing you’re right, since beetles would
probably meet the criteria of “insects and the like” under the Definition of
Loose Impediments.
Now I’m wondering whether the USGA and R&A would
consider a Local Rule for relief from these pests, since they have a defense
mechanism that exudes a yellow fluid (called reflex blood) that has an
unpleasant acrid smell, and will bite humans if hungry [http://www.harlequin-survey.org].
In the absence of such a Local Rule, I might be inclined to take an unplayable.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
