The incident involving Patrick Reed is gaining momentum and the controversy swells since he claims to have succeeded in identifying his ball with certainty in a tree where it is impossible that it could have finished its course.
Invited to speak, the referees recounted what happened and how the decision to award the American a drop was made.
Treegate, rule
During the 3rd round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, two referees on the course and several commissioners indicated that Patrick Reed’s ball had lodged in a specific tree on his face-off at 17.
The DP Chief Referee World Tour joined the player in the area and asked him to identify his own distinctive ball marks. Using binoculars, the head umpire made sure that a ball, bearing the markings Reed is talking about, had lodged in the tree.
The player then declared his ball unplayable (Rule 19.2c) and made a drop at the spot directly under the ball. To be clear Reed was not asked to specify the shaft but to identify his distinctive ball marks to confirm it was his ball.
Rule 7.2: How to Identify Your Ball
A player’s ball at rest can be identified in any of these ways: By the player or anyone else seeing a ball come to rest in circumstances where it is known to be the player’s ball.
By seeing the player’s identifying mark on the ball (see Rule 6.3a), but this does not apply if an identical ball with an identical identifying mark is also found in the same area.
By finding a ball of the same make, model, number and condition as that used by the player, in a place where the player’s ball is supposed to be but this does not apply if an identical ball lies in the same place and there is no way to tell which is the player’s ball.
The Rules of Golf are a set of standard rules and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and maintained by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the governing body for golf worldwide, outside of the United States and Mexico, which are governed by the United States Golf Association.
An expert commission made up of members of the R&A and USGA, oversees and refines the rules every four years. The latest revision has been in force since January 1, 2016. Changes to the rules of golf generally fall into two main categories: those that improve understanding and those that in certain cases reduce penalties to ensure balance.
The rule book, entitled “Rules of Golf”, is published on a regular basis and also includes rules governing amateur status. In Italy it is up to Federgolf to supervise the competitions by enforcing the rules issued by the R & A, checking that these rules are observed by the Clubs, Associations and their members and manages the resulting sporting justice, protecting their interests abroad.
