Hi Linda,
In a three-ball match play, player A hits his ball into the
rough and the ball, upon pitching, collects a lump of mud. He requests to clean
the mud off his ball and replace it. Player B does not object and grants the
request. Player C, on noticing that player A is placing the ball, inquires as
to the nature of the query and is informed that player A requested to
clean his ball in the rough. Player C objects, saying there is a breach of the
rules: a player is not entitled to clean mud off his ball in the rough. Player
A disagrees, arguing that he was allowed to do so by player B. Player A has
matches with both players B and C. What is the ruling?
Kind regards,
Lou from Zambia
Dear Lou,
Player A will incur a penalty stroke in his match vs. Player
C [violation of Rule 21-Cleaning Ball] if Player C files a claim before any of
the players tees off on the next hole [Rule 2-5].
Player A will not
incur a penalty stroke in his match vs. Player B. Both players were ignorant of
Rule 21, so the agreement to permit Player A to clean his ball did not breach
Rule 1-3 (Agreement to Waive Rules). Player B may not file a claim, since there
was no doubt or disagreement between A and B at the time they agreed that
Player A could clean the ball.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
