Hi Linda,
I recently came in second in a 14-hole 5 club + putter better
ball competition at my club with 39 points, but was beaten by a score of 41
points. However, the winners had not signed their card when it was put into the
competition box. When the competition secretary opened the box, there was a
note explaining that the marker had put the card in the box before the player
could sign it. (The box was locked.) The competition secretary took this to the
Board, which declared them to be the winners. Is this correct? I am not being
bitter and the winners did play better golf on the day, but I like to keep on
top of the rules and I always was under the impression that once the card is
put in the competition box, no alteration can be made to it; as it was not
signed by the player, they should be disqualified.
Thanks,
Lou from Manchester, England
Dear Lou,
Technically speaking, a player is disqualified if he turns
in an unsigned scorecard and leaves the scoring area.
However, I am inclined to side with the Committee decision
to declare the team with the score of 41 the winner, for the following reasons:
1. This was a fun tournament that was not a stipulated round
(18 holes) and limited the number of golf clubs a player could carry. 14 holes
with 6 clubs is not a serious tournament.
2. This was an honest error on the part of the marker, who
clearly was aware after he dropped the card in the locked box that the
competitor had not yet signed it. He left a note of explanation, and I suspect
would have hunted down the competitor for a signature if he had been able to
retrieve the card.
3. All the players are members of the same club, which also
suggests that this is a fairly lighthearted competition.
4. If this were a truly serious competition, a Committee
member would be present collecting the cards and trying to prevent errors such
as a missing signature.
In a standard 18-hole (or 36-hole, 54-hole, etc.)
tournament, with a full complement of clubs and perhaps a title at stake, there
would be no question that an unsigned scorecard would mean automatic
disqualification. In a fun tournament among (presumably) friends, it is not
wise to enforce a rule that does not involve an incorrect score and might lead
to hard feelings.
Linda
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