Graeme McDowell's Penalty

[niel...@gmail.com]

Graeme McDowell was penalized because his ball in a tree moved and he
didn't replace it. I can't find this rule.
As explained by news articles, if a ball in a tree moves while not
being addressed, you must replace it.
Questions:
What is the exact rule?
What if the ball is on the ground?

[bkn...@conramp.net]

The ball wasn't in a tree it was on the ground in trees.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-2149408/Graeme-McDowell-fuming-stroke-penalty-Wentworth.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[niel...@gmail.com]

Aha! From McDowell himself (his Twitter feed) and not through a bad
journalist: "Ball resting on a load of branches which turned out to
be all connected. As I approached the ball the whole area moved and
nudged ball."
I didn't think it sounded right that you would have to do something if
a ball at rest off the green moves due to gravity or nature or
whatever and not due to a person doing something to influence it.

[Howard Brazee]

On Fri, 25 May 2012 06:01:32 -0700 (PDT), "niel...@hotmail.com"
<niel...@gmail.com> wrote:

It's not because it was in a tree. But any time you move a ball,
you have to take a penalty then replace the ball. Rule 18-2.

http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14288


--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison

[niel...@gmail.com]

> It's not because it was in a tree.

Yes, we know that now. The news articles all said simply that the
ball moved while he was near enough to it to have seen it. They
didn't say whether he was looking, which brings up another point: If
you cause a ball to move while you are not looking at it, is anyone
who sees it move supposed to tell you to replace it (and where) and to
give yourself a penalty?