Rules Guy: What do you do when several balls deflect off each other?

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Player A’s ball was on the green. Player B chipped his ball on, but before it came to rest Player C chipped his ball, which struck Player A’s ball, causing it to shoot off and deflect Player’s B ball while it was still in motion. Player B argued that Player A’s ball should be placed as close as possible to its original posi­tion, his own ball as close as possible to where it was when the collision occurred, and Player C should be required to replay his shot. Player C disagrees. What’s the official ruling? —THOMAS ARNTZ, VIA E-MAIL

Ah, golf, the haute version of demolition derby. B is half-right, in that A’s ball, since it was at rest, is put back as near as possible to its original position, under Rule 9.6. But both B and C play their own balls as they lie, per Rule 11.1b, since these were accidental deflections and the strokes were made from off the putting green. To preempt a pos­sible concern, no, whether B and C played in the correct order doesn’t change the ruling — and they both get an F for not paying attention to their playing partners.

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