Interesting Rulings, Oregon Amateur, Day 4

Order of Play (Rule 10-1b & 10-1c)

During Thursday’s morning round of 32, two players teed of the 18th hole of their match.  When the players arrived at their balls in the fairway the player closer to the hole, Player A was 1up in the match, or in Rules terminology, the player A was dormie (this occurs when a player is ahead as many holes as remain in the match – for example you are three holes up with three to play, you are dormie).  Both drives were well placed in the fairway and of similar distances to the hole.  Player A played a great shot toward the putting green and Player B believed that he may have been away.  After checking with the opponent, Player A, he found he was a few yards further.  In Match Play, Rule 10-1 governs Order of Play.  After a hole has begun, Rule 10-1b states the player furthest from the hole to play first.  During a match if your opponent plays out of turn, Rule 10-1c allows you to immediately recall the stroke.

In this case, Player B needed to win the hole in order to extend the match and chose to recall the stroke.  Unfortunately, the second attempt by Player A was also a great shot, the hole was halved and Player A won the match 1up.

Moving hole locations or changing course set-up during a round (Rule 33-2)

During the Oregon Amateur the Committee must set up the course for eight rounds of competition (two stroke qualifying rounds and 6 match play rounds).  Prior to play, hole locations are marked by the Committee with paint dots to ensure the hole cutter is able to locate the exact spot chosen for the round.  During Thursday morning’s round, the hole location on the sixteenth hole was cut on a paint dot that was placed for a subsequent round over 30 feet away.  The mix-up was very understandable as eight distinct locations have been marked for the Championship though unfortunately, the error was not discovered until the first group was already playing the fifteenth hole. 

At OGA Championships, players receive a hole location sheet that identifies the exact location of the hole on every green.  Due to the high skill of the players competing, a hole cut in the wrong location can greatly affect a match as a player may play to the exact location on the hole location sheet and find him or herself a great distance from the hole.  This is especially important on a hole like sixteen (see below) where a blind approach shot can often await players.

By the time course maintenance was notified and able to move the hole, the first group would have already played the hole.  A Rules Official notified the group before they played from the tee of the incorrect hole location and, after they played through, the hole was moved to the correct location.  The rest of the field was unaware of the change.

Rule 33-2 requires the Committee to accurately define the course and Rule 33-2b lays down very stringent guidelines with respect to when a hole may be moved in a stroke play competition.  I have written previously about the difference between stroke play (every competitor has an interest in every other competitor play) and match play (where a player and an opponent are competing only with each other) and this scenario clearly underscores this principle. 

Should a hole or teeing ground be moved in the middle of a stroke play competition the competitors who have already played the hole would be competing on a different course than those yet to play the hole. 

In match play, moving hole locations or teeing grounds would not affect one competitor more than another because the matches have no relationship.  Should winds radically change to create a hole that was deemed by the Committee to be either impossibly long or far too easy, the teeing grounds or hole locations could be moved to accommodate the change in weather.