My partner hits a blind shot in the vicinity of a narrow
dried water hazard full of rock. He takes a drop at the point of entry...by
then I make the point that the ball could be anywhere and that the rule of
virtual certainty is not applicable. He agrees and before he picks up to redrop
for a lost ball…his original ball is found playable in the hazard. He thanks me
for interrupting his play and plays his original ball. I would have thought his
drop ball to be in play but dropped in the wrong place, and that the correct
play would have been to redrop at the previous location. Am I right?
Dear Lou,
No.
This player dropped a ball under Rule 26-1b when he was not
entitled to do so, since there was no
virtual certainty that his ball was in the hazard. A ball that is
incorrectly substituted, dropped in a wrong place, or dropped not in accordance
with the Rules, may be lifted with no penalty and played correctly [Rule 20-6].
Since the player did not play the dropped ball, he is entitled to lift it.
Assuming he found the original ball within five minutes, he may play it
[Decision 26-1/3.7].
The answer is different if there is virtual certainty that the ball is in the water hazard. In that
case, the dropped ball was correctly substituted under the Rules and must be
played, even if the original ball is found within the five-minute limit before
the player hits the dropped ball. If the location of the original is such that
the player has dropped in a wrong place, the player must correct the error by
dropping in the correct place. He may not play the original ball; he cannot
avoid the one-stroke penalty for taking relief outside the water hazard
[Decision 26-1/3.5].
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
