I was playing in (the last flight) of our club
championships. One of my fellow competitors hit a worm burner over a pond that
fronts a par 3. There is some medium rough on the far end of the pond. His ball
skipped a couple of times near the far end of the pond. He declared a
provisional just in case his ball was not lost in the hazard and proceeded to
hit his second ball over the green and down the hill (to grandmother’s house we
go). When we went up to the green, he looked for his ball in case it had
skipped out of the hazard. He found the original ball (lodged against a PVC
pipe) in the hazard. As his provisional was no can of corn, he decided to play
the original as it lay in the hazard. He splashed it out, chipped on, and one
putted for a bogey.
Anything wrong with what he did?
Had the rough been very short on the other side of the pond,
would this have made a difference?
What if he says “I’m playing this provisional in case the
ball is lost in the rough just over the pond?”
Always a Lou (from Pennsylvania)
Dear Lou,
Since this player’s ball skipped a couple of times near the
end of the pond, there was reason to doubt that the ball was in the hazard. He
may not proceed under Rule 26-1 (Relief for Ball in Water Hazard) without
knowledge or virtual certainty that the ball is in the hazard. To save time, he
may hit a provisional ball for a ball that may be lost outside a water hazard
[Rule 27-2a].
If he did not find his ball, he would continue play with the
provisional. However, the player did find his ball. He is obligated to continue
play with the original and abandon the provisional [Rule 27-2c]. His decision
to play the original ball was not an option – it was a requirement. If he had
played the provisional after finding the original, he would be playing a wrong
ball [see Rule 15-3].
Regarding your hypothetical question about short rough on the
far side of the pond:
If the ground is such that a ball not found would be certain
to be in the hazard (short grass, no place for a ball to hide), the player may
choose any of the relief options for a ball in a water hazard. He may not play
the provisional ball. It would be a wrong ball.
The hypothetical statement (“I’m playing this provisional in
case the ball is lost in the rough just over the pond”) is the correct
statement for this situation. His actual statement, which I gather was
something like: “I’m hitting a provisional in case the ball is not lost in the
hazard,” is not quite accurate (it should have been: “…in case the ball is lost
outside the hazard”). Nevertheless, his procedure was correct, and his decision
to play the original out of the hazard was fortunate. It was not really his
decision to make, as he was required
to play the original ball.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
