Rules Review
Rules of Golf Review: I didn’t know I holed out and played another ball thinking my first was lost. Which score counts?
Onfokus
Just your luck. You hit a blind second shot into a par-4 green and thought you striped it. Unfortunately, when you got over the hill and reached the green, your ball was nowhere to be found.
The pro tip here is to walk up to the cup and see if your ball is resting at the bottom. However, let’s say for argument sake that you didn’t do that and, after searching for your ball for three minutes, you declare it lost and go back to play another ball. You then hit another shot into the green and two-putt, thinking that with the penalty stroke for your lost ball, you just made a double bogey.
But did you?
Rule 6.5 in the Rules of Golf covers all the action that just took place. If you unknowingly hole out and play another ball, or 10 more balls for that matter, and then discover you already had completed the hole with your first ball, the score for the original ball counts. Congrats on the eagle! Golf can be sadistic, but in this case, the rules work in your favor. The reason is, because when the ball went into the cup, you officially completed play on the hole. Anything that happened afterward doesn't matter.
You might also wonder what happens in match play. Here’s a scenario that could occur: You holed out but don't know it, so you think your ball is lost and play a second ball. After slapping it around for a few strokes, you decide to concede the hole to your opponent. Then you discover your original ball is in the cup. Did you just lose the hole?
The answer is no. Just like when you're playing stroke play, once your original ball found its way to the bottom of the cup, the hole was completed on your side. You’re not allowed to make concessions for a hole that has been completed. The result for the match with the original ball stands—and if you jarred your shot, let’s hope you won the hole.
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You also might wonder if playing the second ball constitutes either practicing at the wrong place or time or playing a wrong ball. According to Rule 6.5, neither is the case. Again, golf can be brutal but not this time.
If you wonder if someone has ever holed out but played a second ball by mistake on the pro tours, our guess is probably, but it wasn't well-documented. However, Greyson Sigg did make a hole-in-one at the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba but because no one cheered, he didn’t know it for several seconds.
Here's hoping you make your first ace with a witness who responds with the appropriate amount of shouting. You are buying drinks, after all.