Monday, July 20, 2015

Ask Linda 1108-Player finds and drops fellow competitor’s ball

Hi Linda:

Two players, one riding and the other walking, hit their tee shots. The rider arrives at the ball first, and finds what he thinks is his ball in casual water. He lifts the ball, cleans it, and makes a correct drop. 
At this time, the walker arrives, and discovers that the rider has dropped the wrong ball (the walker’s). No second shots have been hit to this point. Does anyone incur a penalty?

Thank you,
Lou from Texas

Dear Lou,

There is no penalty for lifting another player’s ball in stroke play. The ball must be replaced [Rule 18-4].

Linda
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