Dear readers,
Several of you wrote to ask that I expand Ask Linda #790 to
include the Exception to Rule 16-1e that allows players to stand astride the
line of putt to avoid standing on another player’s line of putt. A “Lou” from
the UK wrote an especially clear explanation:
Linda,
For completeness perhaps you should have also mentioned that
there is no penalty if that stance is taken to avoid standing on another player’s
line (quite possible if the remaining putt was only a foot). It is also
OK to reach over the hole and tap in the ball. The line of putt ends at the
hole, so if you are standing on the opposite side of the hole from the ball,
you are not standing on or straddling your line of putt (though this was not the
case here).
Regards,
Lou from the UK