Missing holes due to an emergency

[AnttiM]

In which of these cases shall a player be allowed to continue the competition and receive a rating for their round, should they miss one or more consecutive holes due to an emergency

a) at the beginning of the round,

b) in the middle of the round,

c) at the end of the round?

 

[lines]

D. None of the above.

 

[tonyroberts]

Depending on the circumstances, the player could continue in any of these cases.

See rule 811 Misplay for applicable situations and penalties for the misplay.

 

[_MTL_]

Never.

There are too many "what ifs" involved and the line has to be drawn.

 

[DavidSauls]

Continue the competition and receive a rating for the round are two different things.

Generally, you can continue the competition.

Not sure why you'd want the rating, but you'll get it. If you miss many holes, with the penalties it's likely to be so low it'll be dropped from your player rating, anyway.

Whether it's an emergency doesn't come into play. Missed holes are missed holes. With the possible exception of whether they were missed deliberately, to gain an advantage.

 

[Future_Primitive]

A. Yes. This has been covered and happened before, late arrivals. You get a score of par + 4 for every hole you miss and you can finish the round.

B. Depends. If in a foursome then you might permitted to leave and return, receiving par + 4 for every hole you miss. If you're in a threesome however you won't have a group to come back to. Should you be forced to leave then one person goes to the card in front and the other to the card behind as twosomes are not allowed by rule.

C. No. If you're not there when the others finished then I don't see how you could complete the round. In this case it would be a DQ, either 999 or 888 depending on the circumstances for your departure. You can arrive late but you can't finish early so this would be a disqualification, no rating.

 

[JC17393]

A. Yes. This has been covered and happened before, late arrivals. You get a score of par + 4 for every hole you miss and you can finish the round.

B. Depends. If in a foursome then you might permitted to leave and return, receiving par + 4 for every hole you miss. If you're in a threesome however you won't have a group to come back to. Should you be forced to leave then one person goes to the card in front and the other to the card behind as twosomes are not allowed by rule.

C. No. If you're not there when the others finished then I don't see how you could complete the round. In this case it would be a DQ, either 999 or 888 depending on the circumstances for your departure. You can arrive late but you can't finish early so this would be a disqualification, no rating.

Point of clarification, but it would not be a DQ. If we're talking about an emergency situation that could not be avoided, the TD has the discretion to give the player par + 4 for each hole missed no matter when they occurred in the round (beginning, middle, or end) and allow the player to continue to compete in the event if they wish. It would not automatically be a 999 or an 888 just because the missed holes occurred at the end of the round.

888 and 999 are code for voluntary withdrawal from the event, not a disqualification (which is, definitionally an involuntary withdrawal). They are different only in that they signify the nature of the withdrawal.

 

[biscoe]

Even though any of the three ought to be subject to disqualification the PDGA allows all of them under varying circumstances.

 

[AnttiM]

If, for instance, after completing the penultimate hole of the final round while leading the field by five strokes, I happened to get injured so that I couldn't be able to play the last hole, would I still be eligible to win the competition, if my closest rivals failed to birdie the last hole?

 

[tonyroberts]

If, for instance, after completing the penultimate hole of the final round while leading the field by five strokes, I happened to get injured so that I couldn't be able to play the last hole, would I still be eligible to win the competition, if my closest rivals failed to birdie the last hole?

You can't win the competition of you are unable to complete the event. See the following from the PDGA ratings FAQ:

If you do not complete a round due to sickness, injury or other emergency, you will receive a score of 999 indicating you Did Not Finish (DNF) that round. You will not get a rating for that round but will receive ratings for any other rounds you completed before and sometimes after that round (if TD allows). You or someone in your group must inform the TD that you did not complete the round and why. If you complete the round even though sick or injured, you will receive a rating for the round. So keep that in mind when deciding whether to complete the round.

 

[AnttiM]

If you do not complete a round due to sickness, injury or other emergency, you will receive a score of 999 indicating you Did Not Finish (DNF) that round.

The question still lingers: what does 'completing a round' technically mean?

Another example: I have been absent since the beginning of the round, and I don't show up until my group is approaching the last hole. I play the hole. Have I therefore completed the round?

If in some circumstances I am considered to have 'completed the round' without playing anything but the last hole, couldn't there also exist such circumstances wherein I could be considered to have completed the round without having played the last hole?

 

[biscoe]

Is the PDGA Ratings FAQ a legitimate place to have to find rules? I thought that was restricted to the Rule Book and the Comp Manual. Players can't be expected to reference the whole website.

 

[JC17393]

Is the PDGA Ratings FAQ a legitimate place to have to find rules? I thought that was restricted to the Rule Book and the Comp Manual. Players can't be expected to reference the whole website.

PDGA Ratings FAQ is absolutely not a place to find rules. I believe that that paragraph is more about instruction to the TD in filing the event report than making a ruling on the course. 999 doesn't appear in the rule book, it's a code constrained to the event report (that's where it's defined and the only place it is used).

To me, 999 implies withdrawal from a tournament. However, per the misplay rules, a player that misses holes can be given par+4 and continue playing the event. So if you miss the final five holes of round 2 of a tournament (say it's a 4-round, 2-day thing), then you come back Sunday morning and play the next two rounds, round 2 shouldn't be a 999, it should be an actual score: the scores from the holes played added to par+4 for the unplayed holes. How it impacts ratings should have bearing on the TD's ruling. 999 should only appear if the player fails to come back and play subsequent rounds.

 

[tonyroberts]

Is the PDGA Ratings FAQ a legitimate place to have to find rules? I thought that was restricted to the Rule Book and the Comp Manual. Players can't be expected to reference the whole website.

That's a fair point.

However, it seems that this thread itself is getting a little farfetched. The idea that you might be able to win a tournament despite being unable to finish because of injury seems preposterous to me. But the OP is a newbie trying to come to an understanding of the rules and their application, and I appreciate that thoughtfulness. Although I think it's common sense that if you don't finish you don't win, I don't know of a specific rule that says that. My citing an additional resource to shed some light on the question does not seem out of bounds.

 

[biscoe]

"Intentionally failing to complete a hole constitutes withdrawal from competition."- Rulebook 811.F.3
Leaving for an emergency would certainly constitute "intentionally failing to complete a hole", as would leaving for a potty break, and pretty much anything else other than simply forgetting to putt out somewhere.

The whole misplay section of the Rulebook is a mess. Mistakenly play an incorrect 200 foot basket placement rather than a 900 footer and get your score on the shortie plus 2. (811.F.7)

Play a hole that is not part of the course at all and those shots don't count but you get a 2 shot penalty. (811.F.8)

Start with the wrong group and receive a 2 shot penalty (811.F.9) unless you were late in which case it is a DQ. (comp manual 1.05 F)

 

[AnttiM]

"Intentionally failing to complete a hole constitutes withdrawal from competition."- Rulebook 811.F.3
Leaving for an emergency would certainly constitute "intentionally failing to complete a hole", as would leaving for a potty break, and pretty much anything else other than simply forgetting to putt out somewhere.

I don't think that this rule covers all emergencies: the player could even fall unconscious, and thus be incapable of throwing when it's their turn, even if they had intended otherwise. On the other hand, it seems common sense that in order to complete the round one would have to 'pass the finishing line' somehow, so to say.

It's also interesting to note that the Competition Manual 1.05.E says,

If a complete round is missed, or if a player does not finish a round, the player may, at the discretion of the Tournament Director, be disqualified.

 

[DavidSauls]

"Intentionally failing to complete a hole constitutes withdrawal from competition."- Rulebook 811.F.3
Leaving for an emergency would certainly constitute "intentionally failing to complete a hole", as would leaving for a potty break, and pretty much anything else other than simply forgetting to putt out somewhere.

The whole misplay section of the Rulebook is a mess. Mistakenly play an incorrect 200 foot basket placement rather than a 900 footer and get your score on the shortie plus 2. (811.F.7)

Play a hole that is not part of the course at all and those shots don't count but you get a 2 shot penalty. (811.F.8)

Start with the wrong group and receive a 2 shot penalty (811.F.9) unless you were late in which case it is a DQ. (comp manual 1.05 F)

Indeed.

There are so many ways to screw up, and only so much space in the book.

It reminds me of the saying that "Nothing is foolproof because fools are so ingenious". It's not just the players, either; TDs and course designers contribute as well.