USGA RULE OF THE WEEK

WEEK 18 — RULES THAT APPLY AFTER THE LAST PUTT IS HOLED

The final putt is holed, and the round is complete – it's time for lunch! Or is it? Once the final stroke is made, there are a few Rules and responsibilities the players must tend to. This is the case in both match play and stroke play.

In both forms of play, the players must first be sure there are no doubtful or disputed points to settle. If there are any claims (Rule 2-5) that need to be settled after a match, then players should consult with the Committee. Once the result of the match has been officially announced, a later claim may not be considered by the Committee unless it is satisfied that the player knew he was giving wrong information to his opponent.

In stroke play, a player who was unsure of how to proceed during the round may have played two balls under Rule 3-3. This Rule requires the player to report the facts of the situation to the Committee before returning his score card. If the player fails to get a ruling from the Committee in this case, he will be disqualified.

Once any outstanding rulings are settled, then the players must take care of the result of the match or the score cards for stroke play. In match play, the result of the match must be announced to the Committee. We see a couple of different ways of "announcing" the result, such as reporting to the Committee in the golf shop or at the scoreboard, or writing the winner's name and result in the match play bracket on a bulletin board. A score card in match play has no status, so the players are not required to return a match play score card.

This is not the case for stroke play. The score card in stroke play serves as the record of the player's round, and Rule 6-6 provides the requirements for completing and returning the score card. The competitor should verify his scores with the marker, and then make sure the card contains the marker's and his signatures. Once the score card has been returned and the competitor has left the scoring area, his score is final and no further alterations may be made.

Now that all outstanding issues have been resolved and players have made their rounds official and posted their scores for handicap purposes, lunch may be served.

Reprinted with permission from the USGA.