Friday, February 10, 2012

Ask Linda #412-Conceding multiple holes

Dear Linda,
In match play, player A is dormie on hole #14. Is it permissible for player A to concede the next four holes in the following situations:
Situation #1- During Team competition, where that halved match is enough for the Team to win 
Situation #2- During an individual final match where the committee has decided the Trophy will be shared in case of a tie

Other than a common sense answer of “why would you?”, do the rules allow it?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Yes. There is no limit, under the Rules, to how many holes a player may concede in a match. In both situation #1 and #2 the match will end in a tie.

The most well known concession in golf was when Jack Nicklaus conceded a missable putt to Tony Jacklin on the 18th hole of their match at the 1969 Ryder Cup played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. The result of Nicklaus’ sportsmanlike concession was that the entire competition ended in a draw at 16 to 16 points. The U.S. retained the Cup, and Nicklaus and Jacklin were good friends for over 40 years.

Linda 
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