"To get somewhat TomPaulian on you guys, this scenario is a good example of how things are not always crystal clear in the world of golf rules, and sometimes they get decided by a majority vote of the rules committee."
JohnC:
This is true and the Rules of Golf actually address any and all of these types of situations in some pretty interesting ways---but ways that very much do have a final purpose and/or principle.
For instance, it is certainly possible within the Rules of Golf for a local committee (tournament or club) to make a ruling on a situation like Rich outlines.
Following the closing of the competition, the participants have an opportunity to petition the local committee to place the situation and the local committee's interpretation AND RULING before the USGA or R&A Rules of Golf Committee for a final interpretation.
The R&A or USGA Rules of Golf Committee may very well hand down an interpretation that explains that the local committee's interpretation and ruling was wrong.
However, if the competition is closed the interpretation of the situation by the R&A or USGA's Rules Committee is of no consequence regarding the outcome of the competition. Only the local committee's interpretation and ruling is even if it turns out to be wrong!
Some people just can't get their minds around that kind of thing but that's just the way the Rules of Golf work and they always have.
The reason it works that way is pretty interesting too and pretty basic.
However, nothing in the Rules is ever that black and white as there are certain situations whose resolution can survive the close of competition.
This of course gets into various situations and interpretations of the prickly world of "Wrong Information".