Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Ask Linda 783a-Match Play: DQ from hole or match?

Hi Linda,

Thank you for your great explanations and clarifications.

Regarding Ask Linda #783-Local Rule for GUR, could you please expand on your guidance to A to "stick to his guns"? I agree with your explanation that A, having reluctantly agreed with B to play from the drain location, is assessed no penalty (and that neither is B if they did not know they were wrong, i.e. if B did not purposefully mislead A). Lou mentions that A did not "stick to his guns" for fear of being disqualified if he ended up being wrong. Of course I always have my rulebook on hand, but thought this question would be of great value for your readers.

Would it be correct to say that if A had "stuck to his guns" and played as he believed to be by the rules, that B would have to specifically state that he is going to protest the action to the committee following the round or else the result of the hole would stand?

Perhaps a more appropriate question is, if A incorrectly "stuck to his guns" on a rule but did not commit a serious breach (perhaps he took relief from a dirt cart path), B correctly protested, and the committee ruled against A, would A have been disqualified or would A have only lost the hole? In other words, was A justified in not wishing to be disqualified in this situation or should he only have been worried about potentially losing the hole, which could likely have been lost anyway by playing from the drain location? Or does it depend on the specific rule?

Ok, enough questions for now. Thank you again for your great rules guidance,

Lou from Arizona

Dear Lou,

Match play is played by hole. If a player does not proceed correctly under the Rules, he will generally lose the hole. A player in a match might be disqualified from the round for a serious breach of etiquette; he would not be disqualified from the round for breaching a Rule.

In match play, if the player is unsure how to proceed, he must decide what to do, and just do it. There is no option to play two balls, as there is in stroke play. If the opponent objects to a player’s procedure, the opponent must file a claim before anyone tees off on the next hole; if they are playing the last hole of the match, the claim must be made before all players have left the putting green. The claim must be submitted to the Committee for a ruling.

For complete details on how and when to file a claim, please read Rule 2-5.

Linda
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