You could make the argument that August and September are the height of matchplay season in golf. At the professional and elite amateur level, the next two months include the US Women’s Amateur, US Amateur, Curtis Cup, Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup, all with matchplay serving to determine a champion. And at the grassroots level, many courses across Australia will be holding club championships in the next few months that lean on the format as well.
That’s why this week’s Rules Review poses a question that could arise in the near future. The hope here is we’ll give you the easy answer in case it does come into play while watching a tournament or if you’re faced with this scenario yourself on the course.
Here’s the question: who plays first when two balls are equidistant from the hole?
It’s fairly common knowledge that in strokeplay, golfers can actually play in any order (Rule 6.4). In fact, “ready golf” is often encouraged, even by rules makers. So go ahead and keep the pace of play brisk and hit when ready.
In matchplay, however, things are a little different. Who tees off first on the first hole is determined by a draw or an agreement between opponents. From there, the player furthest from the hole has the honour, and that includes if a ball is on the green but a longer distance from the cup than a ball off the green. That’s a commonly misunderstood part of having the honour of playing first. If your ball is 15 metres from the hole, but on the green, and your opponent is in the rough 10 metres from the cup, you should play first.
Rules Review: Are you smart enough to ace this basic rules quiz?
If for whatever reason someone plays out of turn in matchplay, the person who should have played can make that person replay the stroke (6.4a(2)) – it happened infamously at the 2000 Solheim Cup when the Americans made Europe’s Annika Sorenstam replay a chip that she holed. However, if both sides agree to play out of turn to save time, that’s perfectly fine.
The real issue here is what to do in a match when you can’t figure out who is further away from the hole. You could pace off the distance to try to determine it – or use measuring tape/string when balls are are on the green – but what happens when it appears two balls are equidistant to the cup?
The answer is pretty simple: you and your opponent can decide who goes first in any manner you choose. You could toss a coin, play rock/paper/scissors or just agree on an order. The point is, it’s actually not a big deal or something you need to call the pro shop to help make a decision. As long as you and your opponent(s) can agree to something, you’re all set to keep moving on.
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