Hi Linda,
I hope all is well. I have recently been asked by a player
who was playing match play and lost on the 2nd playoff hole because he didn't
put his ball back in the correct place on the green after moving it on
his opponent’s request. The opponent noticed he put it back
in the wrong place but said nothing and waited for the breach to occur and then
claimed the hole.
A heated discussion ensued and names like "Bobby
Jones" came out and fairness as well as etiquette. I advised him it is
player beware and his opponent was within his rights to do what he
did but it did upset a lot of people.
Any thoughts?
Regards,
Lou
Dear Lou,
Under the Rules, the
player lost the hole. It was his responsibility to remember that he moved his
ball, and that he would have to replace it before completing the hole.
Section I of the
rulebook talks about the spirit of the game. It states that players are expected
to demonstrate “courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how
competitive they may be.” The player who withheld the information demonstrated
neither courtesy nor sportsmanship.
As a player, I feel
it is my duty and obligation to point out potential rules violations before
they happen. Deliberately withholding information so that your opponent will
violate a Rule and lose a match is such an egregious act of bad sportsmanship
and so foreign to the spirit of the game that I prefer not to contemplate it.
If the offending
player is unaware that such shenanigans are not tolerated by the golfing
community, perhaps a simple explanation will put him on the right track. If his
natural disposition is “win at all costs,” he might want to try another sport.
Linda
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Linda Miller. All rights reserved.