Hi Linda,
I think this is a first for your site!
I played in a match today and found my ball in deep rough.
My stroke only served to hit the ball straight up in the air and when
it came down it came to rest against my left foot. To play it I had to move my
left foot.
Neither my opponent –who checked the rule book– nor I were
sure of what to do next. We decided it was a one-stroke penalty, much like the
penalty in a bunker when the ball rebounds and hits the player.
Were we right?
Lou from Wales
Dear Lou,
Yes!
Whenever a player hits a ball that subsequently hits himself,
the penalty is one stroke and he must play the ball as it lies [Rule
19-2]. This is known, in Rules jargon,
as a ball in motion that has been deflected or stopped by the player. The
penalty would be the same if the player’s ball were to hit his partner, either
of their caddies, or their equipment.
Taking it a step further, if the ball were to land on your
equipment, or perhaps in your pocket or the cuff of your pants, you would drop
the ball as close as possible to the spot on the ground underneath where it
lodged, no closer to the hole.
Your procedure was correct. Good for you!
Linda
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