Question

In match play, a player removes an immovable obstruction affecting the line of play of his or her opponent who had requested that the player not do so. What is the ruling?

1) There is no penalty.
2) The opponent gets the general penalty.
3) The player gets the general penalty.

Answer 1

In golf match play, if a player removes an immovable obstruction against an opponent's request, the player will receive the general penalty, which is loss of the hole.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of match play in golf, if a player removes an immovable obstruction affecting the line of play of his or her opponent despite the opponent requesting that the obstruction not be removed, the proper ruling according to the official rules of golf would be to apply a penalty.

Specifically, the player who removed the obstruction would receive the general penalty. The general penalty in match play is loss of hole; therefore, the player would lose the hole in which the breach occurred.

The general penalty is a loss of hole in match play, which means the opponent automatically wins the hole. Therefore, option 2) The opponent gets the general penalty is the correct ruling in this situation.