Yet another Rules Question!

[HRC99]

OK, here's what happened to me today. We were playing in a medal today and the three of us reached the 7th tee.

I teed off. Decent shot, looked slightly left of the fairway, in the first cut.

Second player tees off. Way left into the rubbish. Says he'll play a provisional.

Third players tees off. Decent drive. Left half of the fairway.

Second player plays his provisional. Not bad. Same line as me but a bit further back.

We walk on. After a quick search, we find the second player's first tee shot. He hacks out onto the fairway and we retrieve his provisional.

We walk up to my ball and the third player's ball. He plays up 60 yards short of the green. I top one about 50 yards shout. We then both pitch onto the green.

As we arrive at the green, one of the group in front walks back to us and says that a woman with a dog (our course is on common land) picked up a ball (mine, he thinks). His group shouted back to her to put it back. She tossed it a bit further forward and closer to the fairway and walked off.

I asked him if it was definitely mine and he said that he thought so. Noone knew what to do. Our group had seen nothing at all and my drive was basically where I expected it to be.

So I played on, aware that I could be disqualified, but I hadn't moved the ball. Neither I nor my playing partners had moved the ball. None of us had seen anything at all and the ball was not clearly in the wrong place. It could also have been one of three balls that were in fairly close proximity although the group in front believed it to be mine.

I reported the incident when I got back in and noone seems to know what happens. Most said, well you didn't know and you played it as it lied so there shouldn't be any penalty.

So, I was wondering. Should I be dq'd? And what should you do in a situation likes this?

The only thing I could have thought of was to ask one of the players in front to accompany me back to the place where they thought my ball had originally been, drop and play on. But that would have held up the entire field for ages and didn't seem practical.

So, advice please!

 

[drawboy]

Rule 18-1 ball moved by outside agency.
If a competitors ball has been deemed to have been moved by an outside agency (spectator, dog,bird etc) it must be replaced and played from as near as possible to where it came to rest under no penalty.
If it can be proved it was for certain your ball then it should have been replaced and played from as near as possible to where it had come to rest as they cannot prove this you should be O.K to have played the ball as it lay. If you are D.Q'ed for this I would appeal.

 

[CannyFifer]

If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced, Rule 18-1.

 

[Spinn77]

Even if they are 'fairly sure it was your ball', you wouldn't have had much chance of replacing it 'near' to its original position as you would have been too far away to make an accurate assesment. If they (group ahead) were sure it was your ball then they would have been best place to advise of its original location, but didn't.

Weight of the evidence suggests you couldnt have done any more. Don't worry about it, shouldnt be any penalty against you for the above

 

[drawboy]

18-1. By Outside Agency
If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.

Note: It is a question of fact whether a ball has been moved by an outside agency. In order to apply this Rule, it must be known or virtually certain that an outside agency has moved the ball. In the absence of such knowledge or certainty, the player must play the ball as it lies

Straight from the horses mouth, you did the correct thing played the ball as it lies so no penalty should be applied.