I was playing in the final of a club mixed foursomes match
play competition recently, when my male opponent sliced his tee shot. His ball
hit his partner’s bag, coming to rest in play. I thought as it was a match play
competition the penalty would be a loss of hole. Both my opponents insisted
there was no penalty, as the ball had not struck the player’s bag. Both my
opponents are elderly (between them they have over 100 years golf experience),
and as they were adamant they were correct, we continued to play without any
penalty. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that there should
have been a penalty, as there was a distinct advantage incurred – the ball was
heading out of bounds when it struck the bag.
I have searched for the ruling on this but have not found
anything. Can you let me know if there was an infringement of the rules and if
so what was the correct penalty?
Thanks,
Lou from Dublin, Ireland
Dear Lou,
The answer can be found in Rule 19 (“Ball in Motion
Deflected or Stopped”). Rule 19-2 tells us that if a player’s ball is
accidently deflected by himself, his partner, or either of their caddies or
equipment, the player incurs a one-stroke penalty. The ball must be played as
it lies (assuming it settled on the ground). The player in your scenario should
have been assessed a one-stroke penalty.
It is not as unusual as one might think to run into elderly
or experienced golfers who are adamant about so-called “rules” that are
non-existent or incorrect. Since this was match play, you should have filed a
claim (assuming the stroke affected the outcome of the hole). Any Committee
member (or pro) with a basic knowledge of the Rules would have found the answer
in a jiffy and assessed your opponent a penalty.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
