Thursday, August 27, 2015

Ask Linda #1136-Different par; drop club in bunker

Linda,

1. I am in a match play against a man. It's a par 5 for him and par 4 for me. We both par the hole…is it a tie?

2. If you accidentally drop your club in a bunker is there a penalty?

Thank so much,
Lulu from New Jersey

Dear Lulu,

Question #1: No, it is not a tie. Match play is based on the score for the hole – par does not enter the equation. A hole is won by the player who completes the hole in fewer strokes than the opponent [Rule 2-1]. So if the man scores 5 and you score 4, you win the hole.

Question #2: There is no penalty if you accidentally drop your club in a bunker. There was no intention to test the condition of the hazard. (For a list of actions that would and would not constitute testing the condition of the hazard, please read Decision 13-4/0.5). 

Linda
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