Dear Linda,
Question: when playing in a Match Play event, don't
you have to inform your opponent of a penalty you incurred, doing it right away
as their strategy may be changed? I know you should do it "as soon
as practical" but that could be several minutes later.
Sound too nit-picky? (Maybe I do take this stuff too
much to heart.)
Lulu from Leawood, Kansas
Dear Lulu,
“As soon as practicable” could take several minutes, and
might, on occasion, not happen before the opponent plays her next stroke.
Consider a player deep in the woods who accidentally moves her ball while
removing a loose impediment. She replaces the ball and punches out. Her ball
comes out of the woods and settles closer to the hole than her opponent’s ball,
so her opponent immediately takes her shot. The player is not required to come
racing out of the woods screaming, “Don’t hit! I need to tell you I incurred a
penalty!” She should notify her opponent that she incurred a penalty as soon as
practicable, which in this example would be when she exits the woods and her
opponent is within hearing distance. Please read Decision 9-2/1.
Linda
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