Dear Linda,
Recently, at our club in Iowa, we had an annual sole
survivor tournament. The tournament starts out with 10 golfers. One player is
eliminated on a hole, over 9 holes of play, either by their gross score or, in
the event of a tie, a putt-off or chip-off (putt-offs on odd holes and chip-offs
on even holes). On the 7th green, with four competitors left, a ball was close
to the hole and another player who was chipping asked that the ball not be marked.
I thought it was wrong of the player who was chipping to ask to leave that ball
unmarked. Checking Rule 22-1, it seems that both the player chipping (who asked
not to mark a ball) and the player who honored his request and didn't mark his
ball were in violation and should have been disqualified. I realize if he
didn't ask the player not to mark his ball (since he was off the green) and
just went ahead and advanced his ball before the player had a chance to mark
his ball, this would have been no violation. Was I right? Thank you.
Lou from Grinnell, Iowa
Dear Lou,
This would be a matter for the Committee to decide. If it discovers
that both players agreed to not lift the ball because it would assist the
player who was about to chip, both players would be disqualified under Rule
22-1. Both players would have to be interviewed to determine their motivation.
It is possible that the fellow chipping simply wanted to get on with his play
and did not want to wait for the other player to mark. Disqualification is a
serious game-changer. A Committee would need to be absolutely certain of what
happened and why before imposing such a severe penalty.
Linda
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