Dear Linda,
I hope you can answer my question. This has happened twice
this season.
In match play, a player plays from outside the teeing
ground. Her opponent says, "Oh, you played from the wrong (more forward)
tees. Since you're in the bunker I won't ask you to replay it."
Here is my question:
Rule 11-4 says no penalty in match play for playing from
outside the teeing ground. The opponent may require the stroke to be
canceled and another ball played from the teeing ground. I get all that. But
once the opponent has commented on the breach, does Rule 1-3 Agreement to
Waive Rules come into play for both sides? Since the opponent did not ignore
the breach, must the player who played from outside the teeing ground correct
her error once her opponent told her about it?
Also, can the opponent not allow the player to put a
ball in play from the teeing ground? Rule 2-5, Note 1 says there cannot be an
agreement to waive a Rule. Rule 11 says the ball must be played from within the
teeing ground.
Thank you very much for your time in reading and hopefully
answering my question.
Best wishes,
Lulu from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Dear Lulu,
In match play, a ball that is hit from outside the teeing
ground when starting play of a hole is in play unless the opponent requires the
stroke to be canceled and replayed from within the teeing ground [Definition of
“Ball in Play”].
Telling your opponent that you will not require a replay
does not constitute an agreement to waive the Rules, since no Rule has been
breached. There is no penalty in match play for starting play outside the
teeing ground – the ball is in play and the opponent has the option to require
a replay [Rule 11-4a]. Informing your opponent that she has hit from outside
the teeing ground but that you are not requiring a replay is simply explaining
the Rule to her.
Your question about not allowing a player to put a ball in
play from the teeing ground has no relevance. The player already has a ball in
play (the one she hit from outside the teeing ground). Rule 2-5, Note 1, is not
applicable. That Rule states that a player in a match may disregard an
opponent’s breach of a Rule as long as there is no agreement between the
players to waive a Rule. Again, there is no breach in this situation, so no
Rule has been waived.
The ruling would be different for stroke play. In stroke
play, a player who tees off from outside the teeing ground incurs a two-stroke
penalty. She must correct the mistake by playing from the correct teeing ground
before starting play on the next hole or she will be disqualified. If a player
pointed out to her fellow competitor that she had played from the wrong teeing
ground, and both players agreed to ignore the breach of Rule 11-4b and not
count the penalty, they would both be disqualified under Rule 1-3 for agreement
to waive a Rule.
Linda
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