Lost  Balls!

It happens to us all the time, but losing a ball in a major championship-especially when you're leading-is a different story.  That was the situation for Gary Evans during the final round of the the British Open.  He led by a stroke on the par-5 17th when his second shot landed in the left rough near the green. Dozens of spectators joined in a search for the ball, and at least three were found, including a Titleist 2, just like the one Evans was playing.  But it wasn't his.  "It was teasing me," he says.  Evans searched for five minutes (Rule 27-1) before having to declare the ball lost and replay the shot with a one stroke penalty

"I couldn't believe I hit it into 150 people and no one saw it, no one heard it," Evans says.  He made the lonely walk back down the fairway, replayed the shot and hit it onto the green.  Then he provided great drama by making the long putt to save par-a score he'd have been hard-pressed to match if the ball had been found. What if a spectator had found his ball and picked it up?  What if his caddie had accidentally stepped on it?  When does the five-minute search begin? If someone from the crowd or his fellow-competitor steps on the ball, it's considered moved by an outside agency and no penalty is incurred (Rule 18-1).  The ball is dropped as close as possible to where it originally.  That rule applies if someone picks up the ball.   But if Evans or his caddie moves the ball during the search, it's a one-stroke penalty (Rule 18-2).  The five minutes begins when it's clear the player is searching for his ball.  That doesn't include the walk to where the ball landed. Evans bogeyed the 72nd hole and missed the playoff by a stroke.