Craziest ever reason for inability to identify ball

[Orikoru]

Like my mate who would often end up in the same area off the tee on one of our holes - plonking his ball in deepish rough and sometimes losing it. One day he hit usual and ended up in the rough - this time he found his ball - he played it and walked a couple of yards and found another in deep grimly rough - and he knew it was one of his...but as it was marked identically to the ball he was playing he didn't know whether he had played the wrong ball or not...can't remember what we decided. Think we just played on as it wasn't a serious round.

What was the ruling and what should he have done

I'd just play the one that was furthest away the pin so I definitely hadn't gained any advantage and pick the nearer one up.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Lost ball
If you can't positively identify the ball in play because it has the same marks and numbers as another then it's lost

And as he had already hit one of his balls (the first one he found) - but when he found the second ball he did not know if he had played the ball in play or the lost one?

 

[Imurg]

And as he had already hit one of his ball - but he did not know if it was the right one or the lost one?

I would suggest that he's then played a wrong ball as he couldn't be sure which one was his and therefore they're both "lost".

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I would suggest that he's then played a wrong ball as he couldn't be sure which one was his and therefore they're both "lost".

And so as he has played a ball that he can't positively confirm as his ball in play, the default position is that he has played the wrong ball. He incurs a two stroke penalty and has to go back to the tee (as it was a tee shot) and will be playing four?

 

[*TQ*]

I play different provisionals etc.. but could still end up playing the wrong ball should I stumble upon one I lost a few days before!

 

[jim8flog]

Like my mate who would often end up in the same area off the tee on one of our holes - plonking his ball in deepish rough and sometimes losing it. One day he hit usual and ended up in the rough - this time he found his ball - he played it and walked a couple of yards and found another in deep grimly rough - and he knew it was one of his...but as it was marked identically to the ball he was playing he didn't know whether he had played the wrong ball or not...can't remember what we decided. Think we just played on as it wasn't a serious round.

What was the ruling and what should he have done

As per Imurg. They have to treat the ball as being lost, back to the tee and hit another one.