December - 2010

Boy, this year has seen a lot of interesting rulings for professional golfers. Because of a slight slip, Ian Poulter had to call a penalty on himself on the second playoff hole of the European Tour's final tournament in Dubai. As Poulter went to replace his ball he accidentally dropped it onto the marker, causing it to flip over. He later made a point of saying this was his lucky coin that had his children's names on it. (Just a guess, but I'll bet he changes markers) . Because this is a breach of Rule 20-3a, Robert Karesson instead of having to make his putt, now had two putts to win (which he did).

Now, is this fair? To me it's a great example of how the Rules leave responsibility for enforcing any rules breach with the player. He was probably the only one that knew this occurred, it just came at quite an unfortunate time.

20-3. Placing and Replacing
a. By Whom and Where

A ball to be placed under the Rules must be placed by the player or his partner. If a ball is to be replaced, the player, his partner or the person who lifted or moved it must place it on the spot from which it was lifted or moved. If the ball is placed or replaced by any other person and the error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

In any such case, the player is responsible for any other breach of the Rules that occurs as a result of the placing or replacing of the ball. If a ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved in the process of placing or replacing the ball, the ball or ball-marker must be replaced. There is no penalty, provided the movement of the ball or ball-marker is directly attributable to the specific act of placing or replacing the ball or removing the ball-marker. Otherwise,
the player incurs a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18-2a or 20-1.

If a ball to be replaced is placed other than on the spot from which it was lifted or moved and the error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, the player incurs the general penalty, loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play, for a breach of the applicable Rule.

However, Decision 20-1/15 clearly states;
20-1/15 Meaning of "Directly Attributable" in Rules 20-1 and 20-3a

Q. What is meant by the phrase "directly attributable to the specific act" in Rule 20-1 and 20-3a?

    A. In Rule 20-1 the phrase means the specific act of placing a ball-marker behind the ball, placing a club to the side of the ball, or lifting the ball such that the player's hand, the placement of the ball-marker or the club, or the lifting of the ball causes the ball or the ball-marker to move.
In 20-3a the phrase means the specific act of placing or replacing a ball in front of a ball-marker, placing a club to the side of the ball-marker, or lifting the ball-marker such that the player's hand, the placement of the ball or the club, or the lifting of the ball-marker causes the ball or the ball-marker to move. Under either Rule, any accidental movement of the ball or the ball-marker which occurs before or after this specific act, such as dropping the ball or ball-marker, regardless of the height from which it was dropped, is not considered to be "directly attributable" and would result in the player incurring a penalty stroke.

            Derek Duesler