Hi Linda,
Could you possibly clear this one up for me? I will explain
as well as I can. Player hits his second shot in a water hazard. He walks up to
the hazard, and before he looks for his ball, he plays a provisional ball. He
then proceeds to look for his original ball and finds it. He then exits the
hazard and proceeds to hit the original ball from the point of entry. Then
picks up his provisional ball and finishes the hole with his original ball. Is
this allowed?
Looking forward to your reply,
Lou from Wales, UK
Dear readers,
This was a very
difficult question to answer. I received invaluable advice from three
well-respected readers. The answer you will read below was submitted by Lou
(what else would his name be?), a rules official from Canada. My thanks to all
three “Lou’s” for their patience, expertise, and dedication to getting the
answer right.
Dear Lou,
No, this is not allowed. Playing a provisional ball for a
ball that is known or virtually certain to be in a water hazard is not
permitted by the Rules.
When the player played the second so-called “provisional”
ball, he had proceeded under Rule 26-1 (Relief for Ball in Water Hazard),
incurring a penalty of one stroke under that Rule, and the second ball became
his ball in play. His original ball was lost by definition. If the second ball
was not played from the same place as the first ball (Rule 26-1a), or played
from a spot behind the hazard on a straight line formed by the point where his
first ball last crossed the margin of the hazard and the flagstick (as in Rule
26-1b), he has played from a wrong place, incurring a penalty of two strokes,
and with a potential serious breach.
When he picked up his original ball, which was lost by
definition, and dropped it, he had incorrectly substituted a ball for his ball
in play (the “provisional” ball). By playing this incorrectly substituted ball,
it became his ball in play with a penalty of two strokes. He must complete the
hole with this ball. (Rule 15-2)
Summary – the player incurs a one-stroke penalty for the
water hazard relief, potentially two penalty strokes for playing from a wrong
place, and two penalty strokes for incorrectly substituting a ball for his ball
in play.
Linda
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