Provisional shot in golf means hitting a second ball off the tee after striking the first ball. Provisional happens if the first ball goes out of bounds.
The player must profess to their playing partners that they are hitting a provisional ball and note the reason (i.e., the first ball may be lost or out of bounds). The provisional ball must be hit before the player and their playing partners search for the first ball.
If the original ball cannot be found or is declared unplayable, the player must proceed under penalty of stroke and distance, adding one penalty stroke and playing from where the previous stroke was made.
At this point, the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, and the player must continue the hole with the provisional ball.
If a player hits a provisional that lands in a good position, they have a better chance of making a good score on the hole, which could include a birdie if they complete it in one stroke less than par.
What Does Provisional Mean?
The meaning of Provisional is temporary or conditional. The term refers to a second ball a player must choose to hit while searching for their original ball.
In golf, hitting a provisional is a temporary step taken by a player when there is a possibility that their first ball may be lost or stroke out of bounds.
By hitting a provisional ball, the player can avoid returning to the tee to hit another shot, saving time and dodging a penalty stroke.
If the first ball is found and in play, the provisional ball is no longer used. If not, the provisional ball becomes the player's ball, and the player incurs a one-stroke penalty.
In addition, when a player takes a provisional shot in golf, they add a penalty stroke to their score.
For example, if a player hits their first shot out of bounds and then takes a provisional, their score for that hole will be the number of strokes it took them to hit the temporary shot plus one additional penalty stroke.
Provisional Shot In Golf Meaning
Under USGA Rule 18 a provisional shot in golf is a second ball played by a golfer. They hit it when their first ball is lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds.
When playing a provisional ball, the golfer must announce to their partners that they are playing it and state the reason for doing so. The provisional ball must be played before the golfer, and their playing partners search for the first ball.
If the first ball goes missing, the provisional ball turns into the ball in play. The golfer will add a one-stroke penalty and continue playing the hole with the provisional ball.
However, if the first ball is found, the provisional ball is no longer in play, and the golfer must continue playing the hole with the original ball. The golfer must pick up the provisional ball to avoid playing the wrong ball.
Suppose the golfer hits a provisional but finds the original ball within the time limit for searching (usually 3 minutes). In that case, the provisional ball is not in play, and the golfer will continue with the original ball. The golfer will not incur a penalty stroke in this scenario.
If the golfer does not announce that they are playing a provisional ball before hitting it, they will incur a penalty of two strokes. Therefore, informing the provisional ball to avoid unnecessary penalties is crucial.
Rule 18 is designed to ensure that play is not unduly delayed while allowing golfers to avoid the time and distance penalties that can be incurred when playing a shot from the tee box again.
Jon Rahm Hits Provisional Ball On The 18th Hole
In the 2023 Masters Tournament, Jon Rahm hit a provisional ball on the 18th and final hole at Augusta National.
After whacking his tee shot into the rough on the left side of the fairway, Rahm believed that his first ball might be lost. Therefore, he hit a second ball down the middle of the fairway, as allowed under the USGA Rule 18.
Before Rahm's provisional ball could be played, the ball from his first tee shot was found. Therefore, the provisional ball was abandoned, and Rahm played his approach shot with the original ball, per USA Today.
In this case, the provisional ball was unnecessary, and Rahm did not incur penalty strokes.
Despite the initial challenge of hitting his tee shot into the rough and hitting a provisional ball, Rahm managed to par the final hole and acquired his first Master's win over Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.
Penalties For Provisional Shot In Golf
There is no penalty stroke associated with playing a provisional shot in golf.
However, if the original ball is not found or declared unplayable, the golfer must add penalty strokes to their score depending on the actual ball's location circumstances.
Also, suppose the golfer hits a provisional ball and fails to find their original one. In that case, they must add one penalty stroke to their score and return to where the original ball was last played to hit their next shot.
Amid this, according to Rule 18.2 of the Rules of Golf, when a player's ball is lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, the player must take stroke-and-distance relief by playing a ball from where the previous stroke was made.
This means the player must add one penalty stroke to their score and then replay their shot from the original spot or a spot as near as possible to where the previous stroke was made.
