Hi Linda,
Today I was playing in a Stroke Play Tournament and on our
course the Ninth Hole is below the tenth teeing area. As I was teeing off I
looked down on to the Ninth Green and the four players playing behind my four
were approaching the green. Two of the four had played up to the pin and were
sitting just past the hole to the left and right of the centre of the pin. The
third player was just off the green and playing toward the pin.
Before he played a stroke, I called out from the tee and
asked him politely to mark both balls before he played his stroke. He replied
that I should mind my own business and that only the players in his four could
have the balls marked. I reported this to the committee at the completion of
the round and they agreed with the player.
Was I entitled to have the balls marked even though I was
not part of that four?
Kind Regards,
Lou from New Zealand
Dear Lou,
Rule 22-1 is clear on this matter. It states that “if a
player considers that a ball might assist any other player, he may…have any
other ball lifted.” It does not say “if a player in your group.” Any
player anywhere on the course has the obligation to report any Rules’
violations he witnesses; it is every player's responsibility to protect the field. Good etiquette (which you practiced) suggests that you
warn a player who is about to breach a Rule.
The Committee should have interviewed the players to learn
whether they agreed not to lift those two balls in order to assist the player
who was chipping onto the putting green. If that were the case, they would all
be disqualified. Since you warned the players before any action was taken, they
had ample opportunity to mark their balls, thereby complying with 22-1 and
taking disqualification off the table.
Linda
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