What do the principles say a few taking part in associate who marks and strikes your ball and forgets to inform you?
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I performed a blind shot from a deep greenside bunker onto the inexperienced, then raked the sand. Finally, I obtained to my ball, missed the ensuing putt and tapped in. Strolling off the inexperienced, I seen a stray ball marker. Seems certainly one of my taking part in companions forgot to inform me she’d marked my ball and moved it from her line. Ought to I’ve been allowed to exchange my ball on the correct spot and replay from there? Additionally, any penalties and, if that’s the case, to whom? —Terry Christensen, through e mail
In stroke play, the opposite participant is an outdoor affect, and there’s no penalty to anybody for the ball being moved. File it underneath: Stuff occurs.
Because you had no data or digital certainty that an outdoor affect moved your ball— see Rule 9.2b(2) in the event you’re inclined — you proceeded appropriately, not from a fallacious place, and the ball is holed. No exchange, no replay, no nada.
For extra marking steering from our guru, learn on …
Guidelines Man: Are gamers required to mark their balls on the greens when requested?
I used to be referred to as out for aligning my ball for a putt after lifting my ball marker and informed that if I had been caught doing it once more I’d be penalized. But per Rule Clarification 14.2c/1, the ball could be aligned in any means as long as its vertical distance to the bottom stays the identical. I don’t see any reference to a ball marker being required when lining up a putt. Are you able to make clear? —Mark O’Neill, Kildare, Eire
Unhappy to say, you had been referred to as out appropriately. By no means thoughts that “vertical distance to the bottom” is a head scratcher, even for Guidelines Man.
The clarification is a misdirection — it has nothing to do with why you’re getting a penalty. You breached the principles by “lifting,” which incorporates rotating, with out first marking your ball. That’s proper: Rotating the ball is taken into account lifting underneath Rule 14.1, and also you solely get the correct to carry the ball on the placing inexperienced after you mark it first.
So, in the event you rotate the ball when it isn’t marked, you get one penalty stroke. In sum: Mark it, Mark!
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