Dear Linda,
Please could you tell me the correct ruling in this
situation?
My 16-year-old daughter was playing in an under 18
tournament -- match play. On the 12th hole she was on the green near the
hole in 5 strokes and her opponent asked my daughter her score. “I will be in
for 5,” my daughter said. The opponent gave her the stroke and lifted her own
ball marker. The opponent had played 6 and would have been in for 7 shots.
After the girls teed off on the next hole -- 13th --the
opponent said to my daughter: “Had you not already had 5 strokes? You would
have been in for a 6 not a 5.” My daughter admitted that she genuinely made a
mistake and had given her opponent the wrong score. The opponent had already
played more shots than my daughter. I don't know if that is relevant, but it
seems mean to bring up the score from the previous hole. They called a rules
official over and he said that my daughter had not knowingly given wrong
information and that as they had teed off on the next hole the hole would stand
as it was, which meant my daughter remained 2 up. There was a lot of chat
amongst the parents with a father saying wrong information means loss of hole
--- no matter when it occurs.
The referee looked disturbed and he reappeared on
the 15th hole to say that he had had to change his decision and it
was loss of hole due to giving wrong information and that the Decision in the
book stated that the match must be adjusted accordingly. My daughter had been
2-up and was now only 1-up.
My daughter was understandably upset and subsequently lost
the match.
The referee apologised for getting the ruling wrong in the
first place but said that it had to be corrected.
Do you agree?
Thanks for your help.
Lulu from the UK
Dear Lulu,
Yes. The referee must correct his error if he allows an
appeal and discovers that his ruling was wrong [Decision 34-2/6].
Your daughter lost the hole when she gave wrong information
regarding how many strokes she had taken, which led to her opponent conceding
the hole [Rule 9-2]. It makes no difference that the error was discovered after
teeing off on the next hole, as there is no time limit on losing a hole for
giving wrong information [Decision 9-2/9].
The referee’s original decision was incorrect on two counts:
(1) Giving wrong information unknowingly does not absolve
the player from losing a hole for giving wrong information. Wrong is wrong,
whether the information given was intentional or mistaken.
(2) Teeing off on the next hole does not mean the incorrect
result of the hole will stand. There is no time limit on this penalty.
Ordinarily, a referee’s decision is final. However, if he
allows an appeal, and he discovers that his original ruling was incorrect, he must
reverse his decision.
I don’t think you would have considered it “mean” to bring
up the score on the next hole if it had been your daughter who had been given
the wrong information. The bottom line is that your daughter lost the hole. The
referee’s final decision was the right decision – it was correct according to
the Rules of Golf and fair to both girls.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
