Hi Linda,
I notice you get asked obvious and easy-to-find-a-solution
questions and I hope this is not one of those. I recently had a question from
some ladies after a match:
Team match play, four-ball (commonly referred to as better
ball).
Teammates putting, one teammate’s ball strikes another teammate’s
ball. Penalty or not?
I see in rule 19-5a it states:
“a. At Rest
If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or
stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it
lies. In match play, there is no penalty. In stroke play, there is no
penalty, unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in
which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes.”
In this paragraph there is a full stop (period, as you say)
after the words "there is no penalty," and the sentence continues on
to advise about stroke play. I know the general penalty in stroke play is
obvious as you are playing the field. But in Match Play if my partner’s ball
bounced off my ball located close to the hole and was holed this would cause a
little angst from our opponents.
I know the ball could have bounced further from the hole as
well, but it is interesting that in the rulebook it is what is not said
that is also important.
Regards.
Lou from New Zealand
Dear Lou,
There is no penalty
in match play if your putt from on the green strikes another ball lying on the
green, whether that ball be your opponent’s or your partner’s. You must play
the ball as it lies [Rule 19-5a]. If it deflects into the hole, that is your
good fortune – the ball is holed.
However, it is an
unwise opponent who does not ask that such a ball be lifted. A player is
entitled to request that a ball that may assist another player be lifted [Rule
22-1]. A player requested to lift such a ball must comply.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.