PLAYING A WRONG BALL
Few things can bring greater despair to a golfer than looking down to see they have just made a stroke at a wrong ball, says David Wilson, rules manager at The R&A. If a stroke has been made at a wrong ball, the stroke does not count but there is a penalty and the player is required to correct their mistake, either by playing their original ball or by taking relief under the Rules.
This is exactly what Justin Rose was required to do on the 7th hole during the first round of The Sentry, after mistakenly making a stroke at his playing partner Taylor Moore’s ball. The stroke Rose made at the wrong ball was cancelled, meaning it was not included in his score, and he correctly proceeded to play his original ball under the general penalty of two strokes.
As for Moore’s ball, which had now been played in error, he had to replace
