When can a provisional ball be played and what announcement must be made?A provisional ball may be played when the player believes the ball may be out of bounds or lost outside a penalty area. The player must announce she is playing a provisional ball by using the word “provisional” or otherwise clearly indicating she is playing the ball provisionally (such as “just in case” or “I’m playing under Rule 18.3”). Announcements such as “I’m going to re-load” or “I’m going to play another” do not clearly indicate the player is playing a ball provisionally and the ball would be in play under stroke and distance. |
