Question: Player A hits a ball into a wooded area and correctly plays a provisional into the fairway. After 1 minute of search, he says, “That ball is lost, I am playing my provisional”. As he is walking towards the provisional he finds the original ball in the fairway and under 3 minutes. Which ball is in play?
Answer: The original ball is in play laying 1. You cannot declare a ball lost, and since it was found within 3 minutes, it is still in play. This is your lucky day!
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Todd Stice is our in-house Rules of Golf Expert. You can learn more about Todd here.