Golf is open to all
Ball accidentally moved in trying to find or identify it
There is no penalty if your ball is accidentally moved by you, your opponent or anyone else while trying to find or identify it. But if you cause the ball to move before you start to search for the ball, you get one penalty stroke under Rule 9.4b.
In these situations, the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated). In doing so:
- If the ball was on, under or against any immovable obstruction, integral object, boundary object or growing or attached natural object, the ball must be replaced on its original spot on, under or against such object.
- If the ball was covered by sand, the original lie must be re-created and the ball must be replaced in that lie. You may leave a small part of the ball visible if the ball had been covered by sand.