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Rules
Words by Daniel Sommerville
Eddie Pepperell at the Turkish Airlines Open
Failure To Hole Out aniel Sommerville, R&A Rules manager, looks back on Eddie Pepperell’s disqualification in last year’s Turkish Airlines Open for failure to hole out (Rule 3.3c) during his third round. While playing the 4th hole, Pepperell found the water several times and ran out of golf balls. Rather than borrowing any from another player he elected to walk in. It is permissible to borrow balls from anyone, including other players on the course – something to keep in mind for your monthly medals. However, as is the case at all European Tour events, the One Ball Rule (Model Local Rule G-4) was in place at the Turkish Airlines Open. This Local Rule meant that if Pepperell had borrowed balls from another player to use during his round, they would have to have been the exact same make and model that he had started his round with. Only a week later in the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, Russell Henley
Photography: Getty Images, Kenny Smith, Tom Miles
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some highly skilled players may choose inadvertently found himself breaching to play a ball with a high spin rate at par 3s the One Ball Rule. He realised while and a firmer ball at long par 5s. The Local signing golf balls after the round that he Rule is, therefore, recommended for use had used a different ball on holes 9 to 12, in competitions for highly skilled players, resulting in the general penalty on each i.e. tour professionals or hole (two strokes in stroke play) elite amateurs. and a total of eight penalty If a player breaches this strokes… and a missed cut! Local Rule, he or she gets Golf balls that are different the general penalty. In stroke colours are considered to be play this is two strokes for different balls, even if they are One Ball Rule each hole where a breach the same make and model with essentials occurs. If the player identical markings, so players n The One Ball Rule becomes aware of such a who use a colour other than (MLR G-4) is breach, they must stop using white may find it even more intended for professional or elite that ball before playing from difficult to find an exact match amateur events the next teeing area – they without delaying play when n Its intended may use it for the rest of the faced with this situation. purpose is to stop hole on which the breach is The purpose of this Local players using balls discovered. They must then Rule is to prevent a player from with different playing complete the round with a using balls with different playing characteristics ball of the same make and characteristics, which could be n With no such Local model as used at the start of an advantage depending on Rule in place you can the round. Otherwise, the the nature of the hole or shot borrow balls from player is disqualified. being played. For example, anyone on the course
