Rules Guy: My ball got tangled up in a wrapper. Can I remove it without penalty?

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My playing partner hit a worm-burner on a par 3 that appeared to stop short of the green. Initially unable to locate the ball, it was eventually found to have come to rest inside a cellophane wrapper for what appeared to be a store-bought muffin. Was he allowed to remove the ball from the wrapper without penalty before playing his next stroke? – Philip Knotts, via email

Rules Guy is a scone man himself but be that as it may.

Here’s what should have transpired there at Litterbug National: If the ball was fully inside the wrapper — i.e., not touching the course — the player was indeed allowed to take the ball from the wrapper and drop it in a one club-length area (no nearer the hole, still in the general area) based on the spot directly underneath where the ball was at rest in the wrapper. See Rule 15.2a and Definition of Breakfast Pastry.

Now, if the ball were on the green, it wouldn’t be a drop — the player would place the ball on the spot directly underneath, per Rule 15.2.

Lastly, if the ball were instead only partly inside the wrapper, with some of it touching the ground, ergo not in or on the obstruction but merely leaning against it, then the procedure is just to remove the wrapper and replace the ball if it moves, no penalty….

And now we are off to get breakfast.

For more ball-replacement guidance from our guru, read on …

Rules

Player A and player B are both near, but not on, the putting surface. B is farther from the hole, but A’s ball is in his preferred path. B asks A to mark his ball. I know A can’t then clean his ball, but can he replace it with the aiming line on it aligned the way he wants or must he put it down oriented the way it was before? – Scott Puklich, Eden Prairie, Minn

The Rules of Golf can be, well, disorienting.

You’re right, Scott, the ball can’t be cleaned. The Rules for replacing don’t require the ball to be replaced in the same orientation, so a realignment using the line would be fine.

As an aside, though, the “spot” includes the ball’s vertical location relative to the ground, which can be an issue if there’s mud on the ball — you can’t essentially tee up the ball on a clump of mud attached to it unless it was already that way when you marked it, per Clarification 14.2c/1.

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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.