Linda, when a professional golfer hits his ball in the
gallery and it lands on someone and stays (lap, pants cuff, chair, etc.), why does
the person sit there and not move until the golfer gets there? What would
happen if they stood up and the ball fell to the ground?
Lou from Pennsylvania
Dear Lou,
A spectator is an “outside agency.” When a player’s ball comes
to rest on a spectator’s lap (to use your example), the player must drop the
ball on the ground directly under where it landed [Rule 19-1a]. If the
spectator remains still, with the ball in his lap, it is easy to locate the
exact spot on which to drop the ball. If
he stands up and the ball rolls off his lap to to a new spot, it will take a
little more time to establish the correct spot to drop the ball. The player
would have to establish where the spectator was sitting when the ball landed in
his lap. Everyone saves a little time and trouble if the spectator stays put,
but there wouldn’t be a serious problem if he happened to stand up.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
