Hello Linda,
In a recent stroke play foursome game there were two balls
in the bunker reasonably close to each other. One player played his shot and by
some fluke (mishit) he managed to get both balls out of the bunker. The club
only hit one ball but something like a shank made the second ball also come out
of the bunker.
The question is should the second ball be replaced in the
bunker or does the second player get lucky and it is left where it landed?
Regards,
Lou from Camberley, Surrey, UK
Dear Lou,
Any time a player’s ball is moved as a result of another
player’s stroke, the moved ball must be replaced [Rule 18-5]. Since it was in a
bunker, the original lie must be restored before replacing the ball.
When two balls lie so close to one another that there is a
distinct possibility that a stroke at the first ball will move the second ball,
the player hitting first should ask the other player to mark and lift his ball
[Rule 22-2]. Don’t forget that this is one of those situations where a player
lifting his ball may not clean it.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
