To accurately quote Shane Lowry, he said “it was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done.” That’s a bit harsh, but when the former major winner and Ryder Cup hero picked up his ball on a putting green without first marking it at last year’s U.S. Open, it did briefly bring Rules 9.4b and 14.1a into the news. They rarely get discussed because rules incidents involving them rarely happen. At least not to tour pros.
In Lowry’s defense, it was brutally hot during the second round at Oakmont Country Club, and he was well on his way to missing the cut. You could argue that his brain was literally fried on that day.
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Patrick Smith
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That said, it’s worth reviewing what you should do with your golf ball if you plan on lifting it, touching it or moving it in any other manner.
Where this typically comes into play is when some golfers don’t bother putting a coin (or some other marker) down to orient the aiming line on their ball with their line of intended putt. The vague belief is that as long as you don’t “lift” the ball, it’s legal. Right?
Well, wrong. Rule 9.4b says, “if the player lifts or deliberately touches their ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke.” Rule 14.1a says, “Before lifting a ball under a rule requiring the ball to be replaced on its original spot, the player must mark the spot which means to place a ball-marker right behind or right next to the ball, or hold a club on the ground right behind or right next to the ball.”
More Rules Reviews from Golf Digest
Rules What can you use, and how can you use it, when marking your ball on the green?
Rules Review 5 rules most golfers get wrong
Rules Review My buddy’s ball hit mine into the hole on a par 3. Did I make a hole-in-one?
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Simply touching an unmarked ball on purpose is grounds for a penalty, regardless of whether the player reorientated without lifting it. An exception here is if it was accidentally done in the process of searching for it in the rough or in any manner on the putting green, in which cases there is no penalty.
There also is no penalty if an unmarked ball is accidentally moved off the green for a number of procedural reasons such as in the process of marking, lifting or replacing a ball or when removing a movable obstruction.
Getting back to the situation in the headline, it must be stressed that even if you don’t move your ball but you intentionally put your hands on it without marking, it’s a penalty. So mark it! Just ask Shane Lowry.
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