At my home club – Blantyre Sports Club – the golf course is flooded with one very unusual format of play, the match play. Colleagues are participating in the Sunbird Hotels Match Play competition with the final scheduled for May 1 2017.
And last Saturday, golfers in the Central and Southern regions played the traditional HP Quaich, a qualifier for one of Malawi’s major golfing events, the Malawi Match play finals.
Those from the Central and Northern regions played at Lilongwe Golf Club whereas golfers in the Southern Region played concurrently at Blantyre Sports Club (BSC). The finals will take place this weekend at BSC.
I, therefore, decided to share a few hints about this format from the The R&A and USGA Decisions on the rules of golf 2016-2017 booklet as follows:
Decision 2-3/1 under the heading “Players under impression Match Is Over Later Realise It Was All Square,” there is a very interesting ruling.
Question: In a match, A and B left the 18th green under the impression that A had won. They later realised that in fact the match was square. The matter was referred to the Committee. What is the ruling?
Answer: Since there was no indication that wrong information had been given, the match stands as played, with A the winner.
Let us look at one other very common misconception in golf. Most golfers believe that they can never proceed to the next hole without resolving result of the previous hole.
Well, it really depends on what exactly the situation is. If a rules official is not immediately available, and in the interest of time, the player with an unresolved issue needs to alert his opponent that he will seek a ruling or make a claim as soon as practicable then proceed to the next teeing ground.
Rule 2-5 under the heading “Doubt as to procedure; disputes and claims,” the rule states that if a doubt or dispute arises between the players, a player may make a claim. If no duly authorized representative of the committee is available within a reasonable time, the players must continue the match without delay.
The Committee may consider a claim only if it has been made in a timely manner and if the player making the claim has notified his opponent at the time (i) that he is making a claim or wants a ruling and (ii) of the facts upon, which the claim or ruling is to be based.
Enjoy the Big Brother Malawi Match Play finals this coming weekend.
The Author is an Apprentice Member of the Professional Golfers Association of South Africa and an R&A Certified Referee and Tournament Administrator. Feedback: +265 888 346 510/ dingaank@gmail.com ordingaanalvin1@outlook. com
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