Can I leave my marker behind my ball while I putt? Rules Guy

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

My fellow competitor marked his ball and picked it up. He then replaced his ball and putted without picking up his marker. I told him his ball was not in play because he left his marker in place, and thus had hit a wrong ball — he needed to replace his ball, with a two-stroke penalty. He said I was full of baloney. Is the ball in play if you don’t pick up your marker? —Robert Tarbox, via email

Truly, Robert, Rules Guy can’t stomach baloney, and alas you are both full of it.

The placing or removal of the ball marker has nothing to do with whether the ball is in or out of play. Bupkis.

In point of fact, it’s the act of lifting or replacing the ball that would change its status. That said, Rule 14.1 does prohibit playing a ball without first removing the ball marker, a breach for which your fellow competitor did deserve one penalty stroke (not two), even though it wasn’t a wrong ball.

He needs to change his ways, and you need to eat a bit of crow.

For more marker-related guidance from our guru, read on …

I played a blind shot from a deep greenside bunker onto the green, then raked the sand. Eventually, I got to my ball, missed the resulting putt and tapped in. Walking off the green, I noticed a stray ball marker. Turns out one of my playing partners forgot to tell me she’d marked my ball and moved it from her line. Should I have been allowed to replace my ball at the proper spot and replay from there? Also, any penalties and, if so, to whom? —Terry Christensen, via email

In stroke play, the other player is an outside influence, and there is no penalty to anyone for the ball being moved. File it under: Stuff happens.

Since you had no knowledge or virtual certainty that an outside influence moved your ball— see Rule 9.2b(2) if you’re inclined — you proceeded correctly, not from a wrong place, and the ball is holed. No replace, no replay, no nada.

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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.

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