Does no one else on here understand that once a ball has been declared in a hazard, it is no longer in play? Once its not in play, the player can do what he wants. Just see my last post as to why its not possible to play the same ball from the hazard.
JKM,
That first statement is not correct.
I hate to quote verbatim but..."A ball is in play as soon as a player has made a stroke on the teeing ground. It remains in play until it is holed, except when it is lost, out of bounds or lifted, or another ball has been substituted whether or not the substitution is permitted; a ball so substituted becomes the ball in play."
That begs the question, "How is a ball lost?" You CAN NOT "declare" a ball lost. Again from the definitions:
"A ball is deemed “lost” if:
a. It is not found or identified as his by the player within
five minutes after the player’s side or his or their caddies
have begun to search for it; or
b. The player has made a stroke at a provisional ball from the
place where the original ball is likely to be or from a
point nearer the hole than that place (see Rule 27-2b); or
c. The player has put another ball into play under penalty of
stroke and distance (see Rule 27-1a); or
d. The player has put another ball into play because it is
known or virtually certain that the ball, which has not
been found, has been moved by an outside agency (see Rule
18-1), is in an obstruction (see Rule 24-3), is in an abnormal
ground condition (see Rule 25-1c) or is in a water hazard (see
Rule 26-1); or
e. The player has made a stroke at a substituted ball. "
So.....a ball hit into a water hazard is not lost until one of the above happens and none of those things include "declaring" it lost--the player must do something or not find it in 5 minutes.
If a player hit a ball in a water hazard he may "declare" that it's "a goner", "fish food", "lost in the hazard" or whatever and if five minutes is not up after he started looking and he has not done c. d. or e. (he is prohibited from b.) the ball is still "in play" and if found, he could try and hit it.
As a general rule the ball is "in play" more times than the player usually realizes!!
