Talk about a spot of bother. Shane Lowry looked like he was cruising – and then he met Royal Troon’s Railway hole.
He got off the 11th hole of his second round with a double bogey six, but there was plenty of drama in a frantic half hour.
To recap: a wild second shot from rough dived into some deep gorse way left and the Irishman dropped and played another.
He struck a fine approach into the green which gave him what looked like the chance to escape with a bogey.
But it turned out Lowry had declared a provisional ball and, in the meantime, a spectator had found his original.
Lowry decided he couldn’t play it and opted for unplayable ball relief – for a penalty stroke. He went back-on-a-line into the rough on the left of the 12th fairway, wedged onto the green, and two-putted for a double bogey.
I’m sure he would have much preferred to have carried on with his provisional ball but the Rules of Golf don’t give him the choice.
Shane Lowry ruling: Why did he have to abandon his provisional ball?
He can’t declare a ball lost and he can’t stop spectators going looking for it – even if he didn’t want them to.
When a ball was found, Lowry had to go and identify it. Rule 18.3c (3) says if the original ball is found on the course before the end of a three-minute search time, then the player has to play it as it lies.
Of course, he could then decide to take relief for an unplayable ball.
What of the provisional? It had not yet become the ball in play so it had to be abandoned. It would only have gained that status if it was either found after three minutes had elapsed or if the provisional had been played from a spot nearer the hole than his original was estimated to be.
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So save for rushing up to the green and taking a putt, once the ball was found and identified as his, Lowry’s fate at the Railway hole was sealed.
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