Rules Review
Rules of Golf Review: Who plays first when two balls are equidistant from the hole?
You could make the argument that August and September are the height of match-play season in golf. At the professional and elite amateur level, the next two months include the U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Amateur, Curtis Cup, Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup, all with match play serving to determine a champion. And at the grassroots level, many courses around the country will be holding club championships in the next few weeks that lean on the format as well.
That's why this week’s Rules of Golf Review poses a question that could arise in the near future. The hope here is we'll give you the easy answer in case it does come into play while watching a tournament or if you’re faced with this scenario yourself on the course.
Here's the question: Who plays first when two balls are equidistant from the hole?
It's fairly common knowledge that in stroke play, golfers actually can play in any order (Rule 6.4). In fact, "ready golf" is often encouraged, even by rules makers. So go ahead and keep the pace of play brisk and hit when ready.
In match play, however, things are a little different. Who tees off first on the first hole is determined by a draw or an agreement between opponents. From there, the player farthest from the hole has the honor, and that includes if a ball is on the green but a longer distance to the cup than a ball off the green. That's a commonly misunderstood part of having the honor of playing first. If your ball is 40 feet from the hole, but on the green, and your opponent is in the rough 10 yards from the cup, you should play first.
If for whatever reason someone plays out of turn in match play, the person who should have played can make that person replay the stroke (6.4a(2))—it happened infamously at the 2000 Solheim Cup when the Americans made Europe’s Annika Sorenstam replay a chip that she holed. However, if both sides agree to play out of turn to save time, that's perfectly fine.
The real issue here is what to do in a match when you can't figure out who is farther away from the hole. You could pace off the distance to try and determine it—or use measuring tape/string when balls are are on the green—but what happens when it appears two balls are equidistant to the cup?
Stuart Franklin
The answer is pretty simple: You and your opponent can decide who goes first in any manner you choose. You could flip a coin, play rock/paper/scissors or just agree on an order. The point is, it's actually not a big deal or something you need to call the pro shop to help make a decision. As long as you and your opponents can agree to something, you’re all set to keep moving on.