2007 #11 Your Ball Hits Your Opponent’s Cart

THE SCENE
You are playing in the President’s Cup, a match play event. You are lining up your ball on the 10th fairway. Your opponent is driving along the cart path to the right of the fairway bunker, searching for her ball. She is hoping she will find it in bounds. You aim down the center of the fairway toward the green and swing. You must have been thinking about your opponent because the ball heads that way, hits her golf cart and bounces out of bounds. Your opponent calls out, “You’re OB!” You call back, “Pick it up, will you? I’m canceling that stroke.” Then you immediately drop another ball and hit it towards the green. After you both hole out, you and your opponent disagree on your score. She says you are penalized one stroke for being out of bounds. You disagree. She phones the Pro Shop for a ruling.

What would the ruling be?
A)  Your ball was OB. The penalty is stroke and distance. You should have added one penalty stroke to your score and played a ball from where your original ball was last played.
B)  Your ball was deflected by your opponent’s equipment – her golf cart. You were allowed to cancel your stroke and play again with no penalty.

B) is correct
In stroke play, that cart would be considered an outside agency. The ball’s being deflected by an outside agency is a ‘rub of the green’. There is no penalty and you must play the ball as it lies. In other words your ball would have been out of bounds and A) above would be correct. (One stroke penalty)

But hallelujah! You are not playing stroke play. You are playing match play and if your ball is deflected by your opponent’s cart you can cancel your stroke and play again – as long as you do it right away, before anyone else makes a stroke. So, you were right. There was no penalty for your being out of bounds.

Open your Rules of Golf book to Rule 19-3. You will see the following:
Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped
19-3 By Opponent, Caddie or Equipment in Match Play
If a player’s ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by an opponent, his caddie or his equipment, there is no penalty. 
The player may, before another stroke is made by either side, cancel the stroke and play a ball without penalty as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5) or he may play the ball as it lies.

REMEMBER: In match play if your ball hits your opponent, her caddie, or her equipment you can cancel that shot and play again. (No penalty)