You are playing hole #4. You pull your second shot from the fairway left towards the big white rock, surrounded by flowers. You drive over to the rock and search in the flowers. You can't find your ball, so you look beyond the rock. Someone suggests that you go back and hit a provisional ball while they continue the search. You go back to the spot on the fairway from where you last hit. You drop another ball, declaring it a provisional ball, and play it from there. You chunk the ball and it stops about 25 yards away. Then one of the players, searching, calls out, "I found it! It's okay. It's in bounds." Your original ball has been found within 5 minutes of the time the search began.
What would you do?
A. Play your original ball which lies 2. You'd be hitting 3.
B. Play your second (prov?) ball which lies 4. You'd be hitting 5.
B is correct.
If your second ball was actually a provisional ball, A would be the correct answer. But a provisional ball has to be played before you go forward to search. You searched first. So your second ball was not a provisional ball.
Rule #27-2 says:
The player shall inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he shall play it before he or his partner goes forward to search for the original ball.
If he fails to do so and plays another ball, such ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1); the original ball is deemed to be lost.
If your second ball was actually a provisional ball, A would be the correct answer. But a provisional ball has to be played before you go forward to search. You searched first. So your second ball was not a provisional ball.
Rule #27-2 says:
The player shall inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he shall play it before he or his partner goes forward to search for the original ball.
If he fails to do so and plays another ball, such ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1); the original ball is deemed to be lost.
The purpose of playing a provisional ball is to save time. If you think your ball might be lost (outside a water hazard) or may be out of bounds, to save time hit another ball. But do so before you begin your search.
In this scenario your second ball is not a provisional ball. It is your ball in play. Add a penalty stroke for a lost ball and you are lying 4.
REMEMBER: Once you have started a search for your ball, you have given up the privilege of hitting a provisional ball. Search until your 5 minutes is up before going back to hit another ball. But be sure you invite those following behind you to play through.
In this scenario your second ball is not a provisional ball. It is your ball in play. Add a penalty stroke for a lost ball and you are lying 4.
REMEMBER: Once you have started a search for your ball, you have given up the privilege of hitting a provisional ball. Search until your 5 minutes is up before going back to hit another ball. But be sure you invite those following behind you to play through.
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