Dear Linda,
I am a huge fan of your blog.
I recently faced a peculiar situation in match play.
My ball was lying on the cart path. My opponent walked up to
me as I picked up the ball, and when I asked where to drop it, he pointed to
the point of relief and a club-length and then asked me drop it there.
I played my shot from there and won the hole. Soon after my
putt, he complained that I had picked up the ball without marking it first and
thus lost the hole.
What is the ruling?
Thanks,
Lou from Jaipur, India
Dear Lou,
Rule 20-1 requires a player to mark the position of the ball
before lifting it when the pertinent
Rule requires the ball to be replaced. Rule 24-2b, which explains how to
take relief from an immovable obstruction, does
not require the player to mark the ball before he lifts it. Your opponent’s
claim that you lost the hole because you did not mark the ball before lifting it
is invalid.
When your opponent tells you that you lost a hole for some
Rules violation with which you are unfamiliar, tell him he can file a claim and
the Committee will sort it out. Your opponent is entitled to file a claim after
you holed out, since the time limit for filing is prior to either player
hitting from the next teeing ground. The Committee will rule that you incurred
no penalty for lifting the ball without marking it and the result of the hole
stands.
Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
