Ball at Rest Moved by Outside Agency

The above rule stipulates that in order to apply this rule, it must be known or virtually certain that that an outside agency has moved the ball. In my home club, BGC, crows picking up the ball and flying away is a common occurrence. In KGA, eagles and kites used to flirt with the ball and move it a few paces. Of late, it is reported that the eagles/kites have also progressed to the habit of picking up the ball with their claws and carrying it away. At present, the southern regional IGU event for juniors is underway. On the par 5, 14th hole, the second stroke of a player was seen by all the players to be heading towards the centre of the fairway. When the player reached the area, he could not find the ball. He called for a ruling. After reaching the spot and ascertaining the facts, I enquired if any of the players in the group saw the ball at rest. The answer was in the negative as the distance was about 250 yards and there was a small gradient in the landing area. I further checked if they saw any eagles/kite in the area and the answer was again in the negative. The player claimed there was a dog nearby which was not corroborated by other players in the group. We checked with the group in front, who were probably on the green when the ball landed. We did not get any confirmation from the earlier group about seeing the ball at rest or the presence of any birds or dog. Under these circumstances, we concluded that the test of virtual certainty was not passed. It was ruled the player has to proceed under the ball lost rule 27-1. Evaluating if the situation meets the test of virtual certainty is subjective and a difficult exercise for referees. R&A’s curt phrase “It is a question of fact” is the core of a referee’s job. Most of the application of rules revolves around this principle. Till sometime back, in a situation like a crow picking up the ball, unless supported by an eyewitness, I used to reject such claims. But, R&A clarified that in situation where even if nobody has seen the outside agency move/lift the ball but if somebody has seen the ball at rest, and later could not be found, it could be concluded as virtually certain that an outside agency has moved the ball.