The PGA Championship at Bellerive Golf Course is less than two weeks away, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Robin Farran, one of the USGA’s top rules officials who also teaches Advanced Rules at the Golf Academy of America, is in St. Louis just to lend a hand.
In this month’s Diary of a Rules Official, Dr. Farran continues previewing some of the Rules changes coming next year. The current Rules are highlighted in red, while the 2019 Rules are highlighted in green.
The following two incidents are match play, Player A vs Player B, and there are no Local Rules in effect that are relevant to the incidents.
Incident 1
After their second shots from the fairway, the balls of Player A and Player B are on the putting green. Player A arrives at the green first and, believing the ball short of the hole is his or her ball, marks and lifts the ball. Upon realizing the lifted ball is Player B’s ball, Player A replaces the ball and lifts the ball-marker.
**In 2018, Player A moved Player B’s ball and breached Rule 18-3b. The penalty was one stroke.
**In 2019, No penalty to Player A. Rule 9.5b, exception 2 permits the marking, lifting and replacement of the opponent’s ball when believing the ball is his ball.
Incident 2
The balls of Player A and Player B are on the putting green. As Player A evaluates the contours of the green in consideration of his or her line of play, Player A accidentally moves Player B’s ball.
**In 2018, Player A breached Rule 18-3b when Player A moved Player B’s ball. The penalty was one-stroke. The ball must be replaced.
**In 2019, No penalty to Player A. Exception 3 to Rule 9.5b states that there is no penalty when a player accidentally causes his or her opponent’s ball to move when the opponent’s ball is on the putting green. Also, see Exception 3 to Rule 9.4b. The ball must be replaced.
Incident 3
In stroke play, Player A’s ball lies in a poorly raked area of a bunker. As Player A makes the backswing for the stroke, Player A’s club touches the sand in the bunker.
**In 2018, Player A incurred a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 13-4a.
**In 2019, Player A incurred a two-stroke penalty for a breach of 12.2b(1).
Incident 4
In stroke play, Player B’s ball lies in a bunker. As Player B makes the backswing for the stroke, Player B’s club touches and moves a loose impediment. Player B completes the stroke, moving the ball a short distance. Realizing that the ball was now 10 feet ahead of the original location but still in the bunker, in frustration, Player B strikes the sand with the club.
**In 2018, Player B incurred a penalty of two strokes for touching or moving a loose impediment in a bunker and an additional penalty of two strokes for touching the sand in the bunker – see Rule 13-4c, Rule 13-4a and Decision 13-4/35.
**In 2019, No penalties are incurred for Player B’s actions of touching or moving a loose impediment in the bunker or striking the sand in frustration – see Rule 12.2a and Rule 12.2b(2).
Incident 5
Player A’s approach shot from the fairway goes out of bounds. Knowing the exact spot where the ball had come to rest in the fairway, he or she drops another ball from knee height almost one driver-length behind where the previous stroke had been played.
The ball slightly embedded and did not move after the drop. Player A completes the hole.
**In 2018, in proceeding under Rule 27-1a, Player A must play a ball from as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. Player A has played from a wrong place and has dropped the ball in an incorrect manner, incurring a loss-of-hole penalty in match play or a two-stroke penalty in stroke play for a breach of Rule 27-1 in addition to the penalty of stroke and distance. In stroke play, Player A incurred a two-stroke penalty for playing from a wrong place and dropping in a wrong manner (Note 3 to Rule 20-7c) for a total of 3 strokes.
**In 2019, Player A dropped the ball in the right way and played the ball from the required relief area. See Rule 18.2d, Rule 14.6b and Rule 14.3b.
Incident 6
Player B’s ball is on the fringe of the putting green which is quite elevated above a pond near the green. As Player B plays his or her next stroke, Player B is startled by cheering from an adjacent hole and putts the ball into the pond. Player B measures out an area, not nearer the hole, with his or her driver, and drops the ball on the putting green.
The ball lands just within the one club-length area and remains on the green within the one club-length area. Player B completes the hole.
**In 2018, when proceeding under Rule 27-1a, a player is required to play a ball from as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. Player A incurred the general penalty for playing from a wrong place (in stroke play, a total penalty of 3 strokes). Also, see Rule 20-5b.
**In 2019, when a player is taking stroke-and-distance relief, the relief area is one club-length, not nearer the hole, from the reference point, however there are limits on the size of the relief area. The relief area where the ball must be dropped and remain must be on the same part of the course as the reference point. Player B incurred the general penalty for playing from a wrong place – Rule 14.7a.
Also, see Rule 14.6b and Rule 14.3b.
Incident 7
Player A, in taking relief from a TIO, drops the ball at shoulder height in the dropping zone. The ball lands in the DZ and rolls outside the white-lined area but less than one club-length from where the ball when dropped touched the ground.
Player A played the dropped ball and completed the hole.
**Player A has proceeded correctly. See Rules 20-2a, 20-2b and 20-2c.
**Our understanding for 2019 is that the dropped ball must land in and come to rest in the relief area. In addition to making a stroke from a wrong place, Player A also did not drop the ball in the right way (a drop from knee-height is required in 2019).
Player A gets a loss-of-hole penalty in match play or a two-stroke penalty in stroke play for playing from a wrong place – see Rule 14.3 and Rule 14.7. In stroke play, there is no additional penalty for dropping a ball in a wrong way – see Rule 1.3c(4) for multiple breaches that result from a single act.
Incident 8
Player B, in taking relief from a lateral water hazard / penalty area, dropped a substituted ball from shoulder height outside of the two club-length prescribed area / relief area and the ball rolled into the prescribed area / relief area.
Player B played the dropped ball and completed the hole.
**Player B incurred the general penalty for playing from a wrong place. See Rule 20-2b.
**Player B gets one penalty stroke for dropping the ball in a wrong way – See Rule 14.3b. The ball was played from the relief area, however, two of the three requirements in Rule 14.3b were not met when the ball was not dropped from knee-height and was not dropped in the relief area.
Incident 9
Player A’s ball lies on the putting green. Player A marks, lifts and replaces the ball. As Player A waits for his or her turn to play, the ball rolls about 12 inches away from the hole.
Player A completes the hole from the new location.
**There was no reason to conclude that Player A caused the ball to move, therefore the ball was properly in play in the new location. See Rule 20-3d/1 and Decision 18-2/0.5.
**When a ball on the putting green has been marked, lifted and replaced and moves for any reason (other than by a stroke), the ball must be replaced on the original spot (which if not known must be estimated). See Rule 13.1d(2)
Player A has played from a wrong place in breach of Rule 13.1.
Incident 10
Player B’s second shot lands in a water hazard/penalty area. Player B elects to proceed under the flag-line/back-on-a-line option, carefully determines the line from the flagstick through the point where the ball entered the water hazard/penalty area and drops another ball on the line 15 yards behind the water hazard/penalty area. The ball lands on the line and rolls about 3 club-lengths farther from the hole.
Player B picks up the ball and drops the ball on the line about 20 yards behind the water hazard/penalty area. The ball comes to rest within one club-length of where the ball landed, not nearer the hole. Player B completes the hole.
**Player B proceeded in accordance with Rule 20-2c(vi) and Rule 20-6. See D 20-2c/5.
**In the case where Player B dropped the ball from knee height, Player B proceeded in accordance with Rule 17-1d(2). (If Player B dropped the 2nd ball from shoulder height, Player B would incur a penalty of one stroke – see Rule 14.3b.)
When proceeding under Rule 17.1d(2) (back-on-a-line relief), the relief area is determined by the reference point chosen by the player along the line straight back on the reference line. If the ball has not been dropped the right way, Rule 14.5b permits the player to choose a different reference point on the reference line for a second drop resulting in a new relief area.
Incident 11
Player C’s ball lies on a paved cart path. The 1st and 2nd drops with the original ball land within the prescribed area/relief area and roll back onto the cart path. Player C then places a substituted ball on the spot where the 2nd drop first touched the ground. Player C completes the hole.
**Rule 24-2 states that the [original] ball must be dropped. Player C incurred the general penalty for substituting a ball when not permitted. See Rule 15-2.
**Rule 14.3a permits Player C to use the original ball or substitute a ball each time he or she drops or places a ball under Rule 16.1b.