The Rules
Essentially , you ’ re entitled to the spot where your ball originally landed . You ’ re not always going to have spotters or Rules officials at the green when you ’ re playing with your friends on a Sunday morning .”
And hypothetically , if Berry ’ s ball had been struck with such force that it was launched off the green into a penalty area , never to be found , he would be able to replace another ball on the spot where it originally rested .
As for Reilly ? He played his ball as it lied , per Rule 11.1 , which states :
• If a player ’ s ball in motion accidentally hits any person ( including the player ) or outside influence : » There is no penalty to any player .
» This is true even if the ball hits the player , the opponent , any other player , or any of their caddies or equipment .
A similar situation unfolded at the Genesis Scottish Open in July , when Ludvig Aberg ’ s approach shot hit Collin Morikawa ’ s ball at rest on the green , prompting the Sky Sports announcers to yell “ a game of marbles !” Aberg got the worst of it there , as his ball careened far off the green into gnarly rough .
There are situations , too , where the ball at rest that is struck by another ball may end up in better shape than when it settled . Say you ’ ve hit your tee shot and see that it lies about 25 feet left of the flagstick . Then your buddy steps up and hits his shot , it strikes your ball , and yours ends up in kick-in range . Too good to be true ? Unfortunately , yes . You ’ ll need to replace your ball on its original spot and putt from there .
As they say , “ them ’ s the breaks .”
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