Hi Linda,
A friend of mine brought up a situation that arose while she
was playing Stroke Play. I hadn't heard this before so I would like to ask your
expertise on it.
Apparently, her ball landed on the green, she marked it, but
then when she went to putt, she went to the spot where she thought her marker
had been placed and it wasn't there. It was in a different spot and it had been
turned upside down. She didn't know if she or one of the other players had
accidentally moved it with either their club or foot, etc. She was told she had
to take a one-stroke penalty. I think she played it where she found the overturned
marker.
What is the ruling on this type of situation?
Thank you,
Lulu from Oceanside, California
Dear Lulu,
Since the circumstances of how the marker was moved are
unknown, the player must be held responsible. The penalty is one stroke [Rule
20-1], and the ball must be replaced where it was originally marked. If it is
not replaced, the penalty is two strokes [Rule 20-3a]. The player in your
scenario incurred a two-stroke penalty.
If the player responsible for moving the marker could have
been established, the results would have been as follows:
• Player moves marker in the process of marking her ball: No
penalty; replace the marker [Rule 20-1].
• Player moves marker other than in the process of marking
her ball (e.g., drops ball on marker from any
height, kicks marker): One stroke penalty; replace the marker [Rule 20-3a;
Decision 20-1/15].
• Fellow competitor (stroke play) moves the marker: No
penalty; replace the marker [Rule 18-4].
• Opponent (match play) moves the marker: Opponent incurs one-stroke penalty;
replace ball [Rule 18-3].
Linda
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