I was attempting to mark ball, in the process I accidentally hit the ball. I replaced it, marked and did not take a penalty. I think it was a penalty, since the marker may be considered equipment.

i've read about this happening before on here, but search finds nothing, and usga.org doesn't specifically address this situation. Unless I missed it.

Whats the ruling?

Thanks

There are people on here who are much more familiar with the Rules than I am, but I think that you're covered under 20-1, which says:



The part about the movement being "directly attributable to the specific act of marking . . . or lifting the ball" is the part you have to watch out for. If I'm not mistaken, that is what got Brandt Snedeker penalized a while back. I think he accidentally caused his ball to move when dropped his coin on his ball (I think he even dropped it only a few inches above the ball), and because the movement of the ball wasn't directly attributable to the specific act of marking he was penalized.

Someone else may follow up and say that I'm dead wrong, but as long as the movement of your ball can be directly attributed to the specific act of marking, I'd say you proceeded correctly.

Thank you.

The ball moved while i was attempting to mark it.

Yep, no penalty as long as the movement was due to the act of marking the ball.

Excellent answer given by Todd. There are several decisions on this type of ruling under rule 20. The key, as both Todd and Limpwrist mentioned, is "Directly Attributable."

20-1/15 Meaning of “Directly Attributable” in Rules 20-1 and 20-3a

Q. What is meant by the phrase “directly attributable to the specific act” in Rules 20-1 and 20-3a?

A. In Rule 20-1 the phrase means the specific act of placing a ball-marker behind the ball, placing a club to the side of the ball, or lifting the ball such that the player’s hand, the placement of the ball-marker or the club, or the lifting of the ball causes the ball or the ball-marker to move.

In Rule 20-3a the phrase means the specific act of placing or replacing a ball in front of a ball-marker, placing a club to the side of the ball-marker, or lifting the ball-marker such that the player’s hand, the placement of the ball or the club, or the lifting of the ball-marker causes the ball or the ball-marker to move.

Under either Rule, any accidental movement of the ball or the ball-marker which occurs before or after this specific act, such as dropping the ball or ball-marker, regardless of the height from which it was dropped, is not considered to be “directly attributable” and would result in the player incurring a penalty stroke.