Question

If a player who is starting a hole plays a ball from outside the teeing area (including from a wrong set of tee markers for a different teeing location on the same hole or a different hole) in match play, what is the ruling?

a) The player incurs a one-stroke penalty and must play a ball from within the teeing area.
b) The player is disqualified from the match.
c) The player may continue without penalty.
d) The player receives a two-stroke penalty.

Answer 1

In match play, a player must replay the shot from within the teeing area without penalty if the mistake is corrected before a subsequent tee shot. Playing from outside the tee area has no penalty strokes, but the original stroke does not count and can be canceled by the opponent.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a player who is starting a hole plays a ball from outside the teeing area in match play, the ruling according to the most recent Rules of Golf is a follows: The player must correct the mistake by playing a ball from within the correct teeing area before playing from the next teeing area; otherwise, the player is disqualified.

However, in match play specifically, there is no penalty stroke for playing the first ball, but that stroke does not count, and the opponent may cancel the stroke before another stroke is made. This is covered under Rule 6.1b in the Rules of Golf.

To answer the multiple-choice question presented, the correct answer is: a) The player incurs a one-stroke penalty and must play a ball from within the teeing area. It is important to note that in stroke play, playing from outside the teeing area would indeed result in a two-stroke penalty.