Quote:
Originally Posted by _Mantis_
You can play a provisional ball any time you want. However, once you realize your original ball is in the hazard, then you have to pick up your provisional ball and proceed with the hole normally. So the guy you were playing with was wrong.
Then maybe someone can explain this ruling?
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There was a high profile incident concerning this Rule back in 2004 when Greg Norman told his fellow competitors, Fred Couples and Charles Howell lll, that he was going to play a provisional tee shot for his original ball that he thought might be lost in a water hazard. As explained above the Rules only permit a provisional to be played if the original ball is believed to be lost or out of bounds, not when it is in a water hazard. Ironically, Norman found his original ball in a bunker. He then picked-up the ball that he thought was a provisional from the middle of the fairway and played from the bunker. The Rules Official accompanying the group, Slugger White, told Norman that he would have to return and drop a ball where his second tee shot had come to rest. Including the penalties for playing a wrong ball from the bunker and lifting a ball that was in play, he would have been playing his seventh shot to the green. "He chose not to do that," White said. "He said, 'I'm disqualified,' and left.” Surprisingly, Fred Couples said that he also was not aware of this Rule. Another case of tour professionals not knowing the Rules as well as they should, which always surprises me when I think about how much money can be riding on one or two extra strokes over a four-day competition.
Found this after reading this thread. What I gather is that Norman didn't believe his ball to be lost. He knowingly thought his ball was in the water hazard and declared a provisional. After he found his ball outside of the hazard he abandoned his provisional and continued with what he believed was his correct ball in play. But his "provisional" wasn't a provisional by definition. By picking up the "provisional" he actually picked up the ball in play and subsequently played the wrong ball.
To remedy the situation he had to drop where the second tee shot landed. And play his 7th shot. What I'm unclear on is why he is lying 6?
This is way more complicated than I thought. It was explained further that a player should never have the choice of 2 balls to play. Only one ball can be the "ball in play" at any time.
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The reasoning behind these rules are to protect what is one of the most integral premises of the game of golf. This is the premise that a player should NEVER be allowed to have a CHOICE (this is an important term here) between 2 balls to play. This idea necessitates the prohibition of provisionals when the water hazards are involved. For example:
A player hits a ball from the tee that is most likely in a water hazard. If a provisional is allowed in this situation, and the original ball IS in the water hazard, then this player would have a CHOICE between the balls. He or she would have 3 choices to proceed involving 2 golf balls: (1) play the original ball as it lies, (2) drop the original ball according to the rules for water hazards and lateral hazards and proceed, or (3) declare the provisional in play and proceed from that point playing his or her 4th shot.
We always have choices when hazards are involved. But we NEVER have choices involving multiple balls. The prohibition of provisionals in this situation keeps this part of the game intact and closes up any loopholes that could be exposed if a provisional was allowed in this situation.
This discusion can be found here:
http://www.barryrhodes.com/2010/04/w...onal-ball.html