Hi Linda,
Match play. Our two opponents are in the same bunker right
next to each other. One player hits her ball out of the bunker. In the process
she moves her partner's ball, not touching it but moving it with the explosion
of sand. Is that moved ball to be moved back to its original lie? What are the
penalties if they are incurred and to whom do they apply?
Lulu from California
Dear Lulu,
An important principle of golf is that a player is entitled
to the lie and line of play that she had when her ball came to rest. The moved
ball must be replaced. Since this occurred in a bunker, the original lie must
be re-created as accurately as possible and the ball placed in that lie [Rule
20-3b (iii)]. There is no penalty to either player.
If a player suspects that another ball may interfere with
her stroke, she may ask to have it lifted. The other player would mark and lift
her ball, and she would not be permitted to clean it [Rule 22-2]. In a bunker,
it would be a good idea to make careful note of the original lie before lifting
such a ball, since the lie will have to be restored if it is altered. The
requirement to re-create the lie applies only to a ball in a bunker; elsewhere,
if the original lie is altered, the player must place the ball in a nearby
similar lie that is within one club-length and no closer to the hole [Rule
20-3b (i)].
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
