Hello Linda,
A player hit his ball into a ditch hazard. He elected to
play it. It was quite soft where his ball was lying. The other player and I
just heard a splat but saw no ball come out toward the green or get buried in
the soft ground. The player thought he heard it land up around the green. We
checked all around the green and could not find it. So we assumed it buried
into the soft ground but could not see any sign if the ball did. He proceeded
then to take a drop outside the hazard hitting his fourth shot. Should it have
been considered a lost ball and he drops it back in the hazard near where he
last hit it? Then he would have been hitting five and if he then decided to
take relief outside the hazard he would have been hitting six.
Lou
Dear Lou,
Ordinarily, when a player swings at a ball in a hazard and
no one sees it come out, there is virtual certainty that the ball is still in
the hazard. However, this player thought he heard the ball land near the green.
This would seem to rule out “virtual certainty.” Therefore, this player has a
lost ball. He must drop a ball at the spot where he last played his original
ball, which would be in the hazard.
Let’s count his strokes:
#1 – Tee shot into hazard
#2 – Stroke at ball in hazard
#3 – One-stroke penalty for lost ball. Player must drop a
ball in the hazard.
#4 – Player decides to take relief and drops behind hazard.
One-stroke penalty.
#5 – When the player hits the ball he dropped behind the
hazard, it will be his fifth stroke on the hole.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
