A ball that might be a player’s ball is on the edge of a large leaf. She marks the position of the ball and lifts the ball for identification. It is her ball in play. Prior to replacing the ball on its original spot, the player removes the leaf and plays the ball. Did she proceed correctly?No. The player was entitled to mark and lift the ball to identify it, but when she deliberately removed the leaf, she incurred a penalty of one stroke. A player must not deliberately remove a loose impediment that, if moved when the ball was at rest, would likely have caused the ball to move. (Rule 15.1a, Exception 1) |
