Hi Linda,
Our group teed off on a hole that has a large hill to the right
that is full of thick weeds. One of the golfers hit her tee shot a long
distance, but unfortunately up on the hill. She wasn’t certain that she would
be able to find it (or it may be out-of-bounds). She announced that she
was hitting a Provisional Ball, and hit a ball into the fairway, though it’s
not very far out there. Since her provisional ball was a lot farther from the
hole than her original ball, she hit it a second time; this ball went near the
green. She then went up on the hill, and found her original ball on the hill
within 5 minutes, and it was in-bounds. Which ball is in play?
Thank you,
Lulu from Denver, Colorado
Dear Lulu,
The original ball is in play.
The player is entitled to continue hitting her provisional
ball until she reaches the area where her original is likely to be. When she
arrives at that area, she may stop and search for her ball. If she finds it
within five minutes, and it is not out of bounds, she is required to continue with the original and must abandon the provisional [Rule 27-2b, c].
The player’s provisional ball stopped well short of the area
where her original lay. She correctly hit the provisional a second time. Where
that second shot ended up (in this case, near the green), is not relevant. What
is important, with regard to the Rules, is where she hit it from, which was
short of the area where she would begin searching for her original.
The purpose of hitting a provisional ball is to save time.
That’s why the player is supposed to keep hitting it until she physically arrives
at the search area. If she were to hit the provisional ball from the area where
the original is likely to be, or from a point closer to the hole than that
area, her provisional would become the official ball in play, and the original,
even if subsequently found, would be deemed “lost” [Definition of “Lost Ball”;
Rule 27-2b].
Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
