COMMUNITY

You did the right thing when in doubt. You should have taken a wedge to his head also.

It did come to mind!

The rules say no penalty if another player moves your ball, just replace it.
But I emailed them to be certain.
He used his club to dig it out, so I couldn't duplicate the lie.
I'll post it as a 5 until I hear from them.

Seem the rules are pretty clear concerning another play interfering with your ball. I think perhaps you might have done a more thorough job of duplicating the lie, parallel to where he dug it out but no closer to the hole (what you can dig out you can shove back in). I'd post it as a 4 though and be done with it. Hopefully your playing partner got a lesson in the rules though....

You can hit out of a hazard so long as you don't ground your club in the hazard or strike anything like grass/limbs etc on your backswing. Lots of rules and decisions on this.
He was hitting two from the hazard if he followed that part of the rule.

I think Rule 13-4 pretty well covers the situation.

13-4. Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions
Except as provided in the Rules, before making a stroke at a ball that is in a hazard (whether a bunker or a water hazard) or that, having been lifted from a hazard, may be dropped or placed in the hazard, the player must not:

a. Test the condition of the hazard or any similar hazard;

b. Touch the ground in the hazard or water in the water hazard with his hand or a club; or

c. Touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard.

Exceptions:

1. Provided nothing is done that constitutes testing the condition of the hazard or improves the lie of the ball, there is no penalty if the player (a) touches the ground or loose impediments in any hazard or water in a water hazard as a result of or to prevent falling, in removing an obstruction, in measuring or in marking the position of, retrieving, lifting, placing or replacing a ball under any Rule or
(b) places his clubs in a hazard.

2. After making the stroke, if the ball is still in the hazard or has been lifted from the hazard and may be dropped or placed in the hazard, the player may smooth sand or soil in the hazard, provided nothing is done to breach Rule 13-2 with respect to his next stroke. If the ball is outside the hazard after the stroke, the player may smooth sand or soil in the hazard without restriction

The exceptions cover the placing of the ball in the hazard after it was moved by another player. The only question that appears to remain is the lie he placed it in in the hazard.

You would not be penalized for another player moving your ball but you would be for no recreating the lie to the way it was before it was moved. The only thing you should have been able to do is move either the ball to Identify it(then it must be replaced) or brushed the sand off the top of the ball to identify it.

heartotexas is roght on the money.

Here's their answer. I guess I should have placed it and then stepped on it to simulate a plugged lie.

:o)

In response to your email, according to Rule 18-4, if a fellow-competitor, his caddie or his equipment moves the player's ball, touches it or causes it to move, there is no penalty. If the ball is moved, it must be replaced. *Penalty for Breach of Rule: Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes. *If a player who is required to replace a ball fails to do so, or if he makes a stroke at a ball substituted under Rule 18 when such substitution is not permitted, he incurs the general penalty for breach of Rule 18, but there is no additional penalty under this Rule. Also, according to Rule 20-3b, if the original lie of a ball to be placed or replaced has been altered: (i) except in a hazard, the ball must be placed in the nearest lie most similar to the original lie that is not more than one club-length from the original lie, not nearer the hole and not in a hazard; (ii) in a water hazard, the ball must be placed in accordance with Clause(i) above, except that the ball must be placed in the water hazard. Therefore, in the situation you described, since the original lie was altered, the player must replace(dropping does not constitute replacing) his ball in the nearest, most similar lie to the original lie. Since the player dropped instead of placed his ball, he would incur a two stroke penalty for not replacing his ball under Rule 18-4.