Dear Linda,
I just watched a PGA player (Zach Johnson) walk on the line
between his ball and the hole (see 4th round, John Deere, 7th hole). The arc of
his putt was outside the line between his ball and the hole, but isn't this
still a penalty?
Thanks for the info,
Lou from NJ
Dear Lou,
A player is not permitted to touch his line of putt (with several exceptions, such as fixing ball marks –
see Rule 16-1). “Walking” is the same as “touching.”
So the question is: Did Zach Johnson walk on his line of
putt? For the answer, we need to look at the Definitions in Section II at the
front of your rulebook. According to the Definition, the “line of putt” is the
path the ball will take from where it lies on the green into the hole. That
path is seldom a straight line, as most greens come with contours and breaks.
I did not witness Mr. Johnson’s putt, but from your
narrative it would seem that his line of putt was a distinct curve from ball to
hole. If he were to walk on this curve, he would incur a two-stroke penalty.
However, he apparently walked on a direct line from his ball to the hole. As
this was not his line of putt, he incurred no penalty.
Linda
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