rulespin
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by Paul Kruger we have a problem –
like two peas in a pod
Do you know what to do if you discover two balls sitting together in a bunker like two peas in a pod ? That ’ s exactly what Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand discovered when they were paired together during the second round of the Rio Olympics men ’ s golf event .
This article , embellished with several Rules citations , recreates the procedure that these players followed under the expert guidance of a Rio Rules Official . The adjacent photograph
shows two balls close together with Player A ’ s ball further from the hole than , but adjacent to , the ball of Player B . Obviously , Player B ’ s ball , unless it is moved , will interfere with the next stroke by Player A , whose turn it is to play .
Rule 22-2 [ Ball Interfering with Play ] is the applicable Rule and this Rule allows Player A to have Player B lift his ball . A critical point to remember with this Rule is that Player B does not have the authority to lift his ball until Player A asks him to do so . Note 1 to Rule 22-2 reads as follows : “ Except on the putting green , a player may not lift his ball solely because he considers that it might interfere with the play of another player . If a player lifts his ball without being asked to do so , he incurs a penalty of one stroke for a breach of Rule 18-2 , but there is no additional penalty under Rule 22 .”
Paul Kruger is a PGA professional at The Landings Club in Savannah , Georgia .
In this photograph , we see that only the ball of Player A is in view as Player B has lifted his ball after marking its position by placing a tee to the side of his ball . Note that Decision 20-1 / 16 [ Method Used to Mark Position of Ball ] advises that a tee can be used to mark the position of a ball , and Decision 20-1 / 19 [ Placing Object Marking Position of Ball Other Than Behind Ball ] indicates that it is permissible to place the object marking the position of a ball to the side of the ball . Also note that Player B is not permitted to clean his ball after lifting it in these circumstances !
Clearly , the tee marking