Rules question · Rule 18.1 · Expert
Dropped a new ball, then the original is found: what now?
Your ball has gone into the rough. You search briefly, then go back to where you made your last stroke and correctly drop another ball. Still within the three-minute search time, another player finds your original ball. What is the ruling?
Answer
You continue with the dropped ball, the original is out of play
By dropping, you put another ball in play under stroke and distance, for one penalty stroke. The original ball is then out of play, even if it turns up within the search time. If you play it anyway, you play a wrong ball.
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