Hello Linda,
I have a question about a striking an incorrect ball in a
lateral hazard. We were in a two-man stroke-play aggregate event at my club
when my playing partner hit his tee ball (stroke 1) very close to a red hazard.
While looking for the ball, I found the exact same make and number of his ball
just inside the red hazard. After looking at the ball and realizing that very
few players would have used this same ball and number, we determined that it
must be his ball and he attempted to play that ball out of the hazard. After
completing a stroke, he did not get that ball out of the hazard (stroke 2), so
then he took a drop (stroke 3) using that same ball outside of the hazard. His
next shot was back to the Fairway (stroke 4). While getting ready to hit his
approach to the hole, during his setup he realized it was the same exact ball
maker and number but did not have his identifying mark. (So he had hit the
wrong ball since the hazard.) We took that ball out of play, went back to where
we thought his ball had entered the hazard, and he played another ball under the
lost ball in hazard rule (dropping the new ball counts as stroke 2). He
proceeded to hit that ball into the Fairway (new ball stroke 3), then onto the green
(new ball stroke 4) and two putted (new ball stroke 5 & 6). We asked
our local pro and he determined that he should also score a two-stroke penalty
before we signed our card, so we marked an 8 for that hole on our official
scorecard.
Was this the correct call for this scenario?
Lou from Orange County, California
Dear Lou,
No.
Here is the scoring for this scenario:
1 – tee shot into lateral hazard
2 and 3 – player hits wrong ball, incurring a two-stroke
penalty
4 – one penalty stroke for taking relief from lateral hazard
under Rule 26-1c (the ball dropped outside the hazard is a substituted ball and in play)
5 – dropped ball hit onto fairway
6 and 7 – two-stroke penalty for lifting ball in play, incorrectly substituting a new ball, and playing from a wrong place when he dropped again outside the hazard
6 and 7 – two-stroke penalty for lifting ball in play, incorrectly substituting a new ball, and playing from a wrong place when he dropped again outside the hazard
8– dropped ball hit onto fairway
9 – shot onto putting green
9 – shot onto putting green
10 and 11 – two putts
Please remember
that the player has the right to identify his ball before hitting it, regardless
of where it lies. If the player had taken a minute to mark, lift, and identify
the ball you found, he would not have incurred so many penalties and would
have played the hole a lot quicker.
Always put a personal identification mark on your ball, and
always check for that mark before you hit the ball. Most of the time, a quick
glance is all it takes to establish ownership; a ball nestled in high grass or
buried in sand is begging to be identified.
Linda
Copyright © 2017 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
