Not sure if I should have called a penalty on myself, feel bad about it..

[cougar978]

This weekend, I played in a pretty big amateur event (field of 150+) and was +3 after the first round on a very difficult course setup - many guys were high 80's and low 90's through one. I was T5, six strokes off the lead.

Sunday comes around, and I get off to a horrible start, doubled the first hole after blowing my first tee shot in the woods and lipped out about a 12 footer for birdie on the second. The third hole is a short par 5, but it's a hard dogleg right and has a ditch that splits the fairway about 250 off the tee, so you have to hit iron off the tee. I hit a 2I through the fairway directly behind a tree, and there are a lot of rocks and sticks around my ball. The ball was in a position such that the only swing I had was a backwards chop with my lob wedge. Having practiced this shot before, I felt pretty confident in pulling it off. I took the chop, hit the ball solid, and I felt something hit my hand. The ball ends up 10 yards behind me. I'm not sure whether it was a rock or my ball that struck my hand, and no one else in the group saw it. I surmised that if the ball would have struck my hand on the way up, it wouldn't have gone anywhere, and it would be almost physically impossible to hit a ball straight up from that position, but since my hand was behind me, I couldn't be sure one way or the other. Since my hand and the club were out of my line of sight, I gave myself the benefit of the doubt and didn't call a penalty on myself. I went on to stink it up and shoot an 85 with six doubles but managed to finish in the top 20 since they had all sorts of crazy pins and the heat index was over 100.

If I were in contention after the round, I would have brought it up to the officials before I signed my card, but since I was an afterthought, I just let it go and signed for an 85. I was so upset at myself for having virtually no game plan whatsoever on Sunday, I just wanted to pack my clubs and go home. Would you guys have done the same thing?

I feel bad for not bringing it up before we signed our cards, but I didn't want to divert attention from the guys that deserved it (i.e. the ones who played well enough to be in contention).

[David in FL]

You at least "asked yourself the question" and evaluated what had happened. It comes down to your best judgement since you were the only one there. Since you clearly applied that, I don't have any problem with your decision.

[Pinseeker81]

I would think since you didn't see it, and you're pretty sure it didn't happen, how could you call a penalty?

[MiniMoe]

You did the right thing. The ball probably did not hit your hand. But in the future if you have any doubts, talk to your playing competitors about what happened, then talk to the officials before you sign your card. If no one saw it, it is your judgment call, but it is always best to speak up if there is any doubt.

On a side note, you can always sign for a higher score than you actually shot. So, if you thought the ball hit you and did not, you can still add the penalty without fear of being disqualified. It's only when you sign for a lower score than you shot that you will be disqualified.

[Fat Slice]

Somehow I get the feeling that not fully resolving the matter in your mind stuck with you the rest of the round, hence the poorer Sunday play. I don't know if you made the right call - I think you did. Either way, when you do make a call you have to put it behind you and focus on your game. Congrats on a top 20 finish, btw.

[TN94z]

I agree. With no other witnesses it would all come down to your personal judgement regardless of who you talk to. So if, in your mind, it was the rock that hit you and not the ball then that is what happened. You made the right call and I would not think twice about it. Congrats on the top 20!

[cougar978]

Somehow I get the feeling that not fully resolving the matter in your mind stuck with you the rest of the round, hence the poorer Sunday play. I don't know if you made the right call - I think you did. Either way, when you do make a call you have to put it behind you and focus on your game. Congrats on a top 20 finish, btw.

Without a doubt it did - I hit a 4W onto the green from about 240 and salvaged a par, parred four, doubled five (blocked my tee shot into a hazard on a par 3, had to play the ball from a plugged lie), and birdied six to get back to +3, but then the bottom fell out - three-putted 7 and 8 and had to make a miracle par on 9 for 41 on the front, then four doubles (11, 12, 14, and 17) on the back for 44. To add insult to injury, Shankapotomous reared his ugly head on the 17th tee (just walked up and took a swipe with my 2I without lining up or taking my customary two practice strokes) - barely got the ball past the ladies tees. I don't think I've ever shanked one in a tournament before. I haven't played in a real medal-play tournament (I don't count scrambles) since I graduated from college in 2001, so I just look upon this as a learning experience, and now I know what not to do next time I'm in contention after the first round.

[Incognito]

Bobby Jones would have called it...

[zeg]

If there's no way to know, you get the benefit of the doubt. You have to figure out what you truly believe happened. If you honestly believe what you said, then there's no reason for a penalty. While I'm all for playing honorably and calling penalties when appropriate, there's no obligation to call every potential penalty that you can't disprove.

[plugged]

The immutable laws of physics lie in your favor.

[HSip]

I think you did the right thing. The fact that you really did not think that the ball hit you but yet agonized over it is one of the reasons that golf is one of the purest and most challenging of sports. Congrats on your good (and fair) play.