Rules and Rants

Like many golf fans throughout Canada, I was tuned in this weekend to watch the President’s Cup awarded to the U.S. squad.

With the event being played in Australia, it was a challenge (at least for me) to watch the coverage “live”. As I watched Sportscentre Sunday morning for my fix of hockey highlights; I noticed on the ticker that the US had already defeated the Internationals 19-15.

With the outcome known and the drama somewhat removed from the tournament, I did find myself flipping between golf and football.

On Saturday, I did however catch an interesting Rules situation involving Charl Schwartzel.

While playing the 17th hole at Royal Melbourne, Charl hit his tee shot to the right and after a big bounce found its way into the back of a maintenance vehicle, which was driving away.

Just prior to the course worker disappearing into the bushes, spectators called to the driver and stopped the vehicle.

Rule 19-1a deals with this situation and in particular when a player’s ball is stopped or deflected by an outside agency (which the maintenance vehicle is).

The Rule states: If a player’s ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency, it is a rub of the green, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, except;

a) If the player’s ball in motion after a stroke other than on the putting green comes to rest in or on any moving or animate outside agency, the ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball to rest in or on the outside agency, but not nearer the hole, and

b) If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke on the putting green is deflected or stopped by, or comes to rest in or on, any moving or animate outside agency, except a worm, insect or the like, the stroke is canceled. The ball must be replaced and replayed.

Rule 19 also allows the player, if the ball is not immediately recoverable, to substitute another ball.

In this case, if the maintenance vehicle was not stopped, Schwartzel would have been able to substitute another ball and drop it where the ball originally came to rest in the cart.

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Don’t forget, you can find out more about the actual Rules of Golf by clicking here or if you have a specific rules question, you can always Ask an Expert.