Dear Linda,
Playing a Stableford competition yesterday, a golfer from
another playing group said to me after the event that one player in his group
was blatantly cheating. Two examples were given: surreptitiously moving the
ball out of a divot on the fairway; and kicking his ball whilst in the rough,
to give a clear shot to the green. The player/cheater in question was not
brought to task at the time by his fellow golfers.
Debate then ensued as to what penalty applied to this/these
actions, and whether Stableford, match play, or indeed stroke made any
difference. Other people’s views were that a simple one-shot penalty would have
applied. I, in turn, thought that for a serious breach of Rule 1-2 the player
would suffer disqualification no matter what type of competition was being
played.
And if the player in question had been brought to task at
the time, then Rule 13-2 would have applied, with the player given a 2-stroke
penalty (or in match play a loss of hole), and having to replace his ball to
where it originally lay.
The Rules of Golf do not specifically cover cheating as far
as I am aware.
Can you please clarify the situation for me.
Regards
Lou
Lou, cheating in golf is unforgivable. As explained in the
Etiquette section of the rulebook, golf "relies on the integrity of the
individual…to abide by the Rules." If I were a Committee member at this
tournament, the player would be disqualified and banned from future competition
for a significant number of years, perhaps forever.
It makes no difference whether the format is match play,
stroke play, or Stableford. There is no place for cheating in any format.
It’s a shame the player was not taken to task the first time
his cheating was observed. Perhaps if he knew he was being watched, he would
have played by the Rules. In fact, fellow competitors have an obligation to
point out any breach of the Rules to one another. Often, this can be done
tactfully, in a way that does not outright accuse the player of cheating. For
example: “Freddie, I believe you may have inadvertently kicked your ball out of
the divot. If you replace it before you hit, there is only a one-stroke
penalty. If you don’t replace it, the penalty is two strokes.” It makes you
sound like you are saving the player from an additional penalty stroke, rather
than accusing him of cheating.
Players who fail to notify another player, his marker, or
the Committee of a breach of the Rules may be subject to disqualification
themselves [Decision 33-7/9]. It is never a wise decision to ignore a violation
in stroke play.
Rule 13-2 addresses improving your lie, area of intended
stance or swing, or line of play; Rule 18-2 addresses moving your ball in play.
Neither of them contemplates cheating. For that I believe you need to look at
Rule 1-2, which addresses intentionally influencing the movement of the ball or
altering physical conditions. The penalty for a breach of Rule 1-2 is loss of
hole in match play, or two strokes in stroke play, but it also gives the
Committee the option to disqualify a player for a serious breach.
Cheating needs to be addressed by the Committee, and the
ruling in your scenario should be disqualification. Rule 33-7 permits a
Committee to impose a penalty of disqualification for a serious breach of
etiquette, and cheating is about as serious as it gets [see Decision 33-7/6].
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
