Original Ball is Found, but in an Unplayable Lie. Can You Choose Your Provisional? – Golf Rules

SUBSCRIBE to GOLFRULES QUESTIONS for all your golf rules
Q.
You hit your original ball off the tee, and it looks like it is in a shocking spot, so you choose to play a provisional, which you stripe down the middle. When you walk down there, you don’t like the look of where the original ball may be, so you head straight to your provisional ball. Then someone finds your original ball and lets you know.
The dilemma, which ball is your ball in play, and which one can you pick up?
.
A.
The original ball (if found within three minutes of starting a search, but if no search was started, until the provisional ball is the ball in play) is the ball in play and you must continue play with it. You can not declare your original ball lost, and neither can you choose your provisional ball as one of your unplayable options.
Rule 18.3.
.
Filmed at Sandringham Golf Course by the very talented Henry Peters from Under The Card (Subscribe here)
.
.
SUBSCRIBE to GOLFRULES QUESTIONS for all your golf rules
Instagram:
Facebook:
Golf Rules