Hi Linda,
The following seems to have been covered on a variety of
sites, but with no clear instruction as to a penalty or not, so I hope you can
help with the following situation that occurred recently.
Situation: Matchplay, Four-Ball (better ball), Players A
& B versus Players C & D.
Player C concedes the hole to Player A, Player B has already
picked up.
Player A refuses the concession (under the grounds of “it’s
too far away, you are too generous”), and continues to putt out with his next
shot.
Question: The rules state that a player cannot refuse or withdraw
a concession of a hole, but there seems to be no indication of a penalty.
My club rules guru even tells me there is no penalty. If so, what’s the point
of having the rule that you cannot refuse a concession?
I think that the rules also state that breaking of a rule should
be penalised.
Question: Has player A incurred a penalty? If so, what is
the penalty?
Hope you can help.
Thank you for reading.
Best wishes,
Lou from the UK, currently living in Portugal
Dear Lou,
Your club rules guru is correct. Player A incurs no penalty. As soon as Player C
concedes the hole to Player A, the hole is over for Player A. Nothing a player
does after a concession counts, and the player (Player A) is considered to have
holed out with his next stroke.
While Player A may not decline the concession, and Player C may
not withdraw the concession [Rule 2-4], it is not a violation to putt after a
concession (except in one situation, which I will explain below). Think of the
putt after the concession as a practice stroke on the green last played after
the hole is finished [Rule 7-2]. Regardless of whether Player A holes that
after-concession putt, the hole was over for him as soon as Player C conceded
it. It is irrelevant whether Player A makes the putt or misses.
The story is different in a four-ball when a player’s putt has been conceded but his partner
has yet to putt. If the player putts
after the concession, and the putt would assist his partner (with the break,
line, speed, etc.), his partner is disqualified from the hole [Decision 2-4/6].
In team match play, I always encourage players to pick up their ball when the
putt is conceded. They may try the putt after everyone has finished the hole,
at which time no one will argue as to whether their partner was assisted by
seeing their post-concession putt.
Linda
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