Dear Linda,
Last week my partner and I played in the monthly qualifying
Stableford competition. Because of the hot weather we decided to play early and
started 15 minutes before the official time.
After the game our attention was drawn to 2012-2013 Decision
6-3a/5 and we were consequently disqualified.
However we do not agree with the Committee's definition of
this rule as we believe it refers to stroke play matches (we were playing Stableford).
Rule 6-3a has a footnote about Stablefords and this refers
to Note 2, rule 32-1b which states that "if the competitor is in breach of
rule 6-3a [which we were]…the committee will deduct one hole from the aggregate
of holes.”
Can you confirm whether the decision to disqualify us was
the correct one?
Many thanks for your time. I hope you can help us.
Regards,
Lulu from Suffolk, England
Dear Lulu,
I can answer your question, but the answer won’t make you
happy. The disqualification was correct. Here’s why:
Rule 6-3a states that the player must start at the time
assigned by the Committee. The penalty for starting at the wrong time is
disqualification. This penalty is in effect for both match play and stroke play
formats. Stableford, incidentally, is a form of stroke play [Rule 32-1].
The Note that you refer to [Rule 32-1b, Note 2] directs the
Committee to deduct two points in a Stableford competition if the competitor arrives
within five minutes of her starting time. Thus, if a player with a 9 a.m.
starting time arrives at 9:04, she will have two points deducted from her total
for the round. Two minutes later (9:06) and she would be disqualified.
There is no mercy for players who decide to ignore their
assigned time and play 15 minutes ahead of the field.
Linda
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