Dear Linda
On the greens I usually see my friend mark, lift the ball,
pass it to his caddie to clean then ask the caddie to replace and align it for
him. Did he breach rule 20-3 because his caddie was not the person who lifted
or moved the ball?
By the way, rule 20-1 says that a ball to be lifted under
the Rules may be lifted by the player, his partner or another person authorised
by the player, so does the caddie need to be authorised by the player each and
every time he marks and lifts the ball, or does the caddie always have the
player's authorization without verbal agreement as long as the player is responsible
for any breach of the rules of the caddie? Thank you.
Best Regards,
Lou from Vietnam
Dear Lou,
When a ball is to be replaced, it must be replaced by the
player, his partner, or the person who lifted the ball [Rule 20-3a]. In the
scenario you describe in your first paragraph, the caddie did not lift the
ball. He is therefore not entitled to replace it. If the ball has not been
played, the player can avoid penalty by lifting and replacing the ball himself
[Rule 20-6]. If the player does not correct this error, he incurs a one-stroke
penalty [Rule 20-3a].
If the player wishes his caddie to mark and lift his ball,
he must give him authorization.
Here are some examples of things a caddie may do without
being authorized [Decision 6-4/10]:
1. Search for the player’s ball
2. Place the player’s clubs in a hazard
3. Repair old hole plugs and ball marks
4. Remove loose impediments
5. Mark the position of a ball without lifting it
6. Clean the player’s ball
7. Remove movable obstructions
If the player’s ball is marked and lifted by his partner or
someone else authorized to do so, the player is responsible for any violation
of the Rules.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
