Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamming Monkey
Thanks JavaNut, you really are the expert.
The ball she dropped was of course with a penalty stroke, but not distance. She was about 80 yards out when she hit the water. And dropped at about 60 yards further.
Would that make a difference for the drop?
Quote:
Originally Posted by decision 26-1/3
Ball Played Under Water Hazard Rule; Original Ball Then Found Outside Hazard
Q: A player believed his original ball had come to rest in a water hazard. He searched for about a minute but did not find his ball. He therefore dropped another ball behind the hazard under Rule 26-1 and played it. He then found his original ball outside the hazard within five minutes of having begun to search for it. What is the ruling?
A: When the player dropped and played another ball behind the hazard, it became the ball in play and the original ball was lost.
If it was known or virtually certain that the original ball was in the water hazard, the player was entitled to invoke Rule 26-1. In the absence of knowledge or virtual certainty that the original ball was in the water hazard, the player was required to put another ball into play under Rule 27-1. In playing the ball dropped under Rule 26-1, the player played from a wrong place.
In match play, he incurred a penalty of loss of hole (Rule 20-7b).
In stroke play, he incurred the stroke-and-distance penalty prescribed by Rule 27-1 and an additional penalty of two strokes for a breach of that Rule (Rule 20-7c). If the breach was a serious one, he was subject to disqualification unless he corrected the error as provided in Rule 20-7c.
Firstly the first ball can never be the ball in play, as another ball has been put into play. So once she plays that one she will be disqualified unless she correct the error and play hole out with the second ball.
The problem is if there is additional penalty with the second ball because it has been dropped in the wrong place. I would say that for it being known or virtually certain, someone on the group should have gone forward to check that the ball did not stop somewhere towards the water, especially as you did not see the ball go into the water. She should then have gone back and dropped where she hit the shot that you thought went into the water and finish the hole from there.
So unless I can't count as you discover the ball that wasn't in the water, she should have gone back to where she hit the shot that you thought went into the water and dropped a ball there, and she would be about to hit her 6th shot. (The shots with the second ball does not count as they have been played from the wrong place).
Actually she might have gone back and dropped a ball and finished play with both that and the ball on the green, and then take it up with the committe when she has finished play, before entering the scorecard. As you are allowed to play 2 balls in strokeplay if you are in doubt about what to do.
If you have the option, in a case like this you should yell: "Rules Official".