Hi Linda,
In a recent match Paul saw his opponent, Mike, rotate his
ball in the rough in order to identify it. Paul told Mike that he should inform
Paul of the need to identify the ball and then mark it before lifting and then
replacing. Mike apologised and Paul agreed to waive the penalty, but in future
Mike should comply with the rules. Mike accepted the decision.
The incident was mentioned immediately after the match was
finished and, against the protests of both players, the committee felt they had
no option other than to disqualify both players.
Was this correct?
Regards,
Lou from France
Dear Lou,
Unfortunately for the two players, the decision of the
Committee to disqualify both of them was correct.
In match play, a player may ignore a penalty incurred by his
opponent. A player may observe a breach and not mention it. However, once the
player informs his opponent that the opponent has breached a Rule, a penalty
must be applied. Players are not permitted to agree to waive any penalty [Rule
1-3]. The penalty for doing so is disqualification of both players.
Once the players discussed the breach, the opponent was
required to add the one-stroke penalty to his score for failure to mark a ball
before lifting (or rotating) it for identification [Rule 12-2].
Linda
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