During a recent tournament, a competitor played their tee shot into the fescue grass right of the fairway. After searching for a minute, the player gave up and went back to the tee. The player teed up another ball for his next shot when his fellow competitors yelled they found his ball. Since the original ball had been found within the five minute search period, what should the player do?

The first part of the question is addressed by Decision 27-1/1. Since the original ball was found within the five minute search period, it remains the ball in play. The player must abandon the ball he teed up in the teeing ground. The ruling would be the same even if the ball was not teed up in the teeing ground (put on the ground instead). A ball is not in play on the teeing ground (whether teed up or not) until a stroke is made at it.

However there is a different ruling when the spot where the player returns to play from again is not the teeing ground. This situation is addressed in Decision 27-1/2. For example, a player plays his second shot from the fairway and the ball comes to rest in tall grass. After searching briefly, the player returns to the fairway and drops another ball on the spot from which he last played. After dropping another ball, the player's fellow competitors find his original ball within the five minute search period. In this situation, the player is required to continue play with the dropped ball because under Rule 27-1, the ball was in play when substituted.