Linda,
On the weekend, the player whose card I was marking hit his
ball towards a pine tree that was in GUR. When we got to the tree we could not
find the ball anywhere. So after a few minutes the player said: “Don't worry I
will play another one,” and started walking back towards the tee, so I assumed
he was going to play another from the tee.
However when I got to the top of the hill and looked back,
he had dropped next to the tree outside the GUR.
When I questioned why he dropped there he explained he
thought there was enough evidence to suggest his ball was lost in the tree. I
explained that I did not think there was enough evidence and he should have
played another from the tee. The competition was Stableford and he wiped the
hole. He was not happy about it, but got on with it and all was fine.
I have since read a USGA ruling that allowed a drop in a
similar situation. I find it hard to be totally sure a ball is lost in a tree
when I have found plenty of balls I have hit in trees in places totally
different to where I was looking. To me, hitting a ball towards a tree and not
seeing it drop is not enough evidence to say it is in the tree. I am talking
about a pine tree, not a gorse bush or something dense.
Did I do the right thing as marker?
Thanks again,
Lou from Adelaide, Australia
Dear Lou,
Yes, Lou. You were correct.
Unless someone witnessed the ball lodge in the tree, there
can be no certainty that it is there. Decision 27/15 requires that a player
identify a ball in a tree as his. Even if he is able to see a ball in the tree,
he must proceed under Rule 27-1 (stroke and distance) if he is unable to
identify it.
If there is knowledge or virtual certainty that the ball is
in the tree in GUR, the player is entitled to relief under Rule 25-1c [Decision
25/10]. However, there was neither knowledge nor virtual certainty in the
scenario you describe. "Enough evidence" does not constitute virtual
certainty.
If there was a USGA ruling permitting a drop, I assume it
was because someone witnessed the ball lodging in the tree or the ball was seen
and identified.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
