Tree-Stuck Ball Costs Jeong Lost Ball; Park Withdraws Over 3-Minute Rule

Balls getting stuck in tree branches may seem unlikely, but it happens occasionally. On the second day of the KLPGA Tour Dongbu Engineering & Korea Land Trust Championship held at Iksan Country Club in Iksan, North Jeolla Province last October, Jeong Ji-hyo's tee shot on the first hole (par 4) veered into the woods left of the fairway. Jeong, her caddie, and a fore caddie searched the ball's landing area but could not easily locate it.

During the search, the caddie spotted a ball lodged between pine tree branches approximately two minutes and 50 seconds after the search began. The caddie examined the ball on the branch with a rangefinder but could not confirm whether it was Jeong's ball. The rules official ultimately ruled it a lost ball.

Under golf rules, if a ball is not found within three minutes after a player or caddie begins searching, that ball becomes a lost ball. But what happens when, as in Jeong's case, a ball that might belong to the player is discovered just as the three minutes are about to expire? The rules do not require ball identification to be completed within three minutes. When a ball is found near the end of the three-minute period, up to one additional minute is allowed to identify it.

If a player cannot confirm the ball is theirs within this reasonable time, it becomes a lost ball. When a ball is lost, the player must take stroke-and-distance relief by playing another ball from where the previous stroke was made, with a one-stroke penalty (Rule 18.2a). Jeong managed to salvage the first hole with a bogey.

Regarding the "three-minute rule," Park Min-ji, an 19-time KLPGA winner, earned praise for her principled decision during the first round of the season-ending Daebo Housedy Championship. Park pulled her tee shot left on the 15th hole (par 5). She eventually found her ball and continued play. However, after completing the front nine, Park self-reported to a rules official, expressing concern she may have violated the rules. She believed her ball search on the 15th hole may have exceeded three minutes.

The rules committee responded: "Since there were no witnesses and no evidence, it is for the player to decide whether to stop or continue playing." Park chose to withdraw.

But why did Park choose withdrawal rather than a two-stroke penalty?

When a player plays a wrong ball, they receive a general penalty (two strokes, or loss of hole in match play) and must then play the original ball as it lies. However, as in Park's case, if the player has started another hole, or if that hole was the final hole of the round, failing to correct the mistake before submitting the scorecard results in disqualification (Rule 6.3c). This is because there is no longer any way to correct the error.