Linda,
A golfer swings and hits her ball. On her follow-through,
she hits her opponent’s ball. What is the penalty? Same as hitting a wrong
ball? Two strokes?
Lulu from Longview, Washington
Dear Lulu,
I assume this is match play, since you referred to the other
player as the “opponent.”
The penalty is one stroke, and the opponent must replace her
ball [Rule 18-3b; Decision 18-3b/1].
In order for this to occur, both balls must have been in
close proximity. It was the player’s responsibility to anticipate the
possibility of her follow-through contacting her opponent’s ball. She should
have told her opponent to mark and lift her ball, which is her right under Rule
22-2. Since she did not take the precaution of having the ball lifted, she
cannot avoid penalty for having moved it.
Linda
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