Linda,
Yesterday I pitched my second shot into the cup from about
60 yards. The ball rested against the pin in the cup with about half an inch
above the top of it. My partner then played his chip and run. One of our opponents
stated that if my partner’s ball had hit the pin with my ball resting
against it he would have requested me to take my shot again. Is this correct?
Thanks,
Lou
Dear Lou,
Absolutely not.
When a player’s ball in motion contacts a ball at rest, the
player must play his ball as it lies [Rule 19-5a]. If the ball at rest is
moved, it must be replaced [Rule 18-5]. Regardless of whether the contact
knocked your ball into the hole or away from the hole, you would have to
replace it over the hole leaning against the flagstick.
Since you brought up the topic of a ball leaning against the
flagstick, I would like to caution everyone to take care when you remove the
flagstick. If the ball drops into the hole, it is holed with your last stroke.
If removal of the flagstick knocks the ball out of the hole, you must replace
it on the lip of the hole and then putt out [Rule 17-4]. This is a case where the
savvy golfer will insist on removing the flagstick himself, and will lean it
gently away from the ball to allow it to fall into the cup.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
