You are playing hole #3. Your drive goes straight up the middle of the apron towards the green but bounces left, toward the bunker and then out of sight. The next player’s ball follows yours. When you arrive, the two balls are close to each other but one is in the bunker, the other is in the rough. Both players claim the ball in the rough is theirs. Both balls are Titleists. Neither has an identification mark.
What would you do?
A. The other player insists the ball in the rough is hers. You don’t like fights so you give in and play the other ball, the one in the bunker. You figure you are being a good sport.
B. Both balls are ‘lost’. The penalty is stroke and distance. You lift one of the balls, mentally take a one stroke penalty and head back to the tee to hit it again.
B is correct. Your ball is lost so you must take a penalty stroke and replay your ball. If you failed to do this, you would be penalized 2-strokes for breach of Rule #27 (Lost Ball).
See Decision 27/10:
27/10 Player Unable to Distinguish His Ball from Another Ball Q. A and B hit their tee shots into the same area. Both balls were found but, because A and B were playing identical balls and neither had put an identification mark on his ball, they could not determine which ball was A’s and which was B’s. What is the ruling? A. Since neither player could identify a ball as his ball, both balls were lost — see Definition of “Lost Ball.” This incident underlines the advisability of the player putting an identification mark on his ball — see Rules 6-5 and 12-2.
REMEMBER: Put an identification mark on your ball!! If you don’t and can’t tell your ball from another, take a penalty stroke, return to the spot from where you hit before, and hit again. If you don’t do that, you are then in beach of Rule #27 and must give yourself a 2 stroke penalty so you won’t be disqualified for turning in an incorrect score card.
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