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Oregon Amateur - Interesting Rulings Day 1
For complete coverage of the 101st Oregon Amateur, visit http://www.oregonamateur.org
Two wrongs don’t make it right ... and ... why you should play two balls when you don't know what's right!
All Rules and explanation below related to stroke play.
During the first round of stroke play qualifying one of the first groups left the #10 putting green and proceeded to play the #11 hole. When they reached the #12 teeing ground they noticed something was wrong. They had played hole #11 from the white tee markers, specifically the WRONG teeing ground.
On every Notice to Players, the supplemental Rules sheet for an OGA event, we list the tees play will be contested from. Below is the entry listed for the Oregon Amateur:
“2. The Teeing Ground – Women will play from the white tee makers and men will play from the green tee markers.”
The entire Notice to Players for Stroke Play qualifying rounds can be viewed here.
Back to the group standing on hole #12 teeing ground. The very first Rule in golf requires that every hole begins at the teeing ground and ends at the hole. Rule 11-5 provides guidance to a player that does not follow Rule 1-1 and reads:
"b. Stroke Play
If a competitor, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing ground, he incurs a penalty of two strokes and must then play a ball from within the teeing ground.
If the competitor makes a stroke from the next teeing ground without first correcting his mistake or, in the case of the last hole of the round, leaves the putting green without first declaring his intention to correct his mistake, he is disqualified.
The stroke from outside the teeing ground and any subsequent strokes by the competitor on the hole prior to his correction of the mistake do not count in his score."
This is one of the few times in golf when you are required to correct within a specified timeframe or you incur a penalty of disqualification. Smartly, the players then invoked Rule 6-8, which allows them to discontinue play to seek help from the Committee with a Ruling. They found an official and were instructed to return to the #11 hole and play the hole correctly from the green tee markers. Anything they had done during play of hole #11 is disregarded and all three players added the two stroke penalty for their mistake.
Unfortunately for one of the players in the same group a second “wrong” transpired later in the round. If you make a stroke at any ball other than your ball in play, a provisional ball or a second ball you have made a stroke at a WRONG ball and Rule 15-3 is applicable. This Rule is very similar to Rule 11-5. The player incurs a two stroke penalty and must correct the error before beginning the next hole. He did so by finding his original ball and playing it out on the hole while adding two strokes. Though commonly misunderstood, it does not matter how many strokes you play at a wrong ball (or even if you play multiple wrong balls). The total penalty is two strokes and you must continue play of the hole with respect to your original ball.
On the side, it doesn’t take long to quickly realize that some players handle penalties very differently from others. Though the player incurred four penalty strokes during 6 holes of play it did little to affect his performance. He finished at four over 75 and is in good shape to qualify match play.
The smart player plays two balls.
Also during play of the #11 hole a player's ball came to rest in a very difficult lie against a small sod wall just off the #15 teeing ground. Due to the very sharp angle he would have to make to strike the ball, nearly all of his weight was on his left foot. This turned out to be a very fortnate situation for the player as his left foot was standing in a muddy area and once his stance was completed there was water visilbe around his foot.
He was not certain if he was entitled to relief and, under Rule 3-3, smartly chose to play two balls. Before taking further action he announce he was going to play a second ball and would like to score with the second ball he dropped after taking relief. He played both balls into the hole and found an official a few holes later. The situation was reinacted by the player and because he would have been entiteld to take relief from the casual water he was instructed to use the score made with the second ball. Fortunately for the player the second ball was holed in two fewer strokes.
Note this is only an option available in stroke play and there are a few things you will want to remember if you choose to do this yourself:
- Before taking further action, announce your intention to play a second ball to someone else in your group.
- Select which ball you wish to score with (in the scenario above the player wanted relief and said so).
- Play out both balls and, before you return your card, tell the Committee what happened.
Rule 3-3 can be viewed in it's entirety here.
Craig Winter serves as the Manager of Rules Education for the OGA and was one of ten officials to score a perfect 100 on the 2010 PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Examination given to nearly 1500 Rules Officials each year.
