Hi Linda,
Not sure if you can answer the following – this took place
in a strokes play competition:
Ball no. 1 - hit from tee but lands in long grass.
Ball no. 2 (provisional) - hit from tee but also lands in
long grass.
The player and her two fellow competitors go and look for
balls.
No ball found.
Player goes back and hits ball no. 3 - this also lands in
long grass but beside original ball (ball no.1 now found).
Player now goes and plays her original ball (no. 1) and
continues the game.
Q. Was she right to play ball no. 1, or is she
disqualified for playing the wrong ball?
Q. Which ball should she have played and what is the penalty?
Would be most grateful if you can answer the above.
Thanks,
Lulu from Dublin, Ireland
Dear Lulu,
The player hits her original ball plus one provisional ball,
both from the tee. So far so good. Once she goes forward to search, she may not
return to hit another provisional. When she returns to the tee and hits the
third ball, that ball becomes her ball in play, and is her fifth stroke on the
hole. Both the original and the provisional are now “lost” [Definition of “Lost
Ball”].
When the player hits her original ball, she is hitting a
“wrong ball” [Definition of “Wrong Ball”]. She incurs a two-stroke penalty, and
must correct the error before teeing off on the next hole. If the error is not
corrected in time, she is disqualified [Rule 15-3b].
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
