Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Ask Linda #1742-Find original after dropping and hitting ball behind water hazard

Linda,
My playing partner dropped a ball, assuming that his drive had gone into a water hazard. He hit his shot and walked a few steps forward and saw his original ball in the thick rough.
Which ball is in play?
Regards,
Lou from Bangalore, India

Dear Lou,

If there was virtual certainty that the original ball was in the water hazard, the player was entitled to drop and play another ball. As soon as he dropped the substituted ball, it became the ball in play. He was not entitled to continue with the original ball, and must include a one-stroke penalty in his score for taking relief from a water hazard [Decision 26-1/3.5].

Please read Decision 26-1/3.7 to find out what happens if a player drops a ball behind a hazard when it is not known or virtually certain that the ball is in the hazard.

Linda
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