Opponent Refuses to Lift Interfering Ball on Putting Green
2 min read
The Situation
In match play, my opponent's ball is on the putting green and directly in my line. I asked him to lift it, but he refused, and I proceeded to play my shot anyway. What is the ruling?
The Ruling
Rule 15.3b addresses this situation.
It states that if a player reasonably believes another player’s ball anywhere on the course might interfere with their play, they can require the owner of that ball to mark and lift it. If the owner refuses and the player then makes a stroke with the ball still in place, the owner receives the general penalty (loss of hole in match play, or two-stroke penalty in stroke play).
Therefore, if your opponent refused to lift their ball after you reasonably requested it, and you then played your shot, your opponent incurs the general penalty. In match play, this means your opponent loses the hole.
The key takeaway is that if an opponent's ball is interfering with your play and you ask for it to be moved, they must comply. Failure to do so results in them receiving the general penalty under Rule 15.3b once you play your shot. The penalty is triggered by their refusal to lift the ball, followed by your stroke with the ball still in place.
It states that if a player reasonably believes another player’s ball anywhere on the course might interfere with their play, they can require the owner of that ball to mark and lift it. If the owner refuses and the player then makes a stroke with the ball still in place, the owner receives the general penalty (loss of hole in match play, or two-stroke penalty in stroke play).
Therefore, if your opponent refused to lift their ball after you reasonably requested it, and you then played your shot, your opponent incurs the general penalty. In match play, this means your opponent loses the hole.
The key takeaway is that if an opponent's ball is interfering with your play and you ask for it to be moved, they must comply. Failure to do so results in them receiving the general penalty under Rule 15.3b once you play your shot. The penalty is triggered by their refusal to lift the ball, followed by your stroke with the ball still in place.