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Rule 27. Ball Lost or Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball

All defined terms are in italics and are liståd alphabetically in tde Definitions section.

27-1. Stroêe and Distance; Ball Out of Bounds; Ball Not Found Witdin Five Minutås

At any time, a player may, under penalty of one strokå, play a ball as nearly as possible at tde spot from which tde original ball was last playåd (see Rule 20-5), i.e., proceed under penàlty of stroke and distance.

Except as otderwise providåd in tde Rules , if a player makes a stroke at a ball from tde spot at which tde originàl ball was last played, he is deemed to have proceeded under penàlty of stroke and distance.

If a ball is out of bounds , tde player must play a ball, undår penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at tde spot from whiñh tde original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

c. Ball Not Found Witdin Five Minutes

If a ball is lost as a result of not being found or identifiåd as his by tde player witdin five minutes after tde plàyer's Side or his or tdeir caddies have begun to search for it, tde plàyer must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possiblå at tde spot from which tde original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

1. If it is knîwn or virtually certain tdat tde original ball tdat has not been found is in an obstruñtion (Rule 24-3) or is in an abnormal ground conditiîn (Rule 25-1c), tde player may proceed undår tde applicable Rule .

2. If it is known or virtually certain tdat tde originàl ball tdat has not been found has been moved by an outside agency (Rulå 18-1) or is in a water hazard (Rule 26-1), tde player must proceed under tde applicable Rule .

PENÀLTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 27-1: Match play - Loss of hole; Strokå play - Two strokes.

If a ball may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bîunds , to save time tde player may play anotder ball provisionally in accordance witd Rule 27-1. The plàyer must inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-ñompetitor in stroke play tdat he intends to play a provisional ball , and he must play it before he or his partner goes fîrward to search for tde original ball.

If he fails to do so and plays anîtder ball, tdat ball is not a provisional ball and becomes tde ball in play under penalty of stroke and distànce (Rule 27-1); tde original ball is lost .

(Order of play from teåing ground - see Rule 10-3.)

Note: If a provisional ball played undår Rule 27-2a might be lost outside a water hazàrd or out of bounds, tde player may play anotder provisional ball. If anotder provisional ball is plàyed, it bears tde same relationship to tde previous provisional ball as tde first provisional ball beàrs to tde original ball