Provisional Ball Holed

[D-S]

I am sure this has been discussed in here before but can’t find it.

A player hits his tee shot on a Par 3 into deep rough. He declares that he is playing a provisional. He holes out with his first shot with the provisional.

I assume that if the original is found within 3 minutes and the provisional has not been played, from a spot nearer to the hole than the estimated point of the original ball, then it becomes the ball in play and the provisional must be abandoned. If the provisional is played from a spot nearer to the hole it becomes the ball in play (in the above case then a score of 3 is recorded).

However in the above scenario, what constitutes playing the provisional - merely removing it from the hole?

 

[Steven Rules]

Correct.

Clarification 18.3c(2)/3. So long as the original ball has not already been found in bounds, the score with a provisional ball that has been holed becomes the player's score for the hole when the player lifts the ball from the hole since, in this case, lifting the ball from the hole is the same as making a stroke.