Hey Rules Crew: I Didn't Get to Finish My Round

I was playing in an SCGA Team Play match this past weekend, and it turned into a pretty heated battle where leads were changing what seemed like every hole.

Unfortunately we teed off mid-afternoon at a busy public course, and pace was a mess all day. The match was close throughout, and by the time we made the turn, we knew it was coming down to the wire. After 13 holes, I was 1-down. We halved 14 and 15, then as the daylight was quickly disappearing, I finally caught a break on 16 with a net birdie to get back to all square.

On the 17th tee, a marshal rolls up and lets us know that due to the fading light, we had to wrap things up and head back to the clubhouse. Not exactly how you want a tight match to end, but what can you do?

Now I’m staring at my GHIN app wondering what I’m actually supposed to do with this round, both from the standpoint of posting my score and settling the match. So:

• Do I still post this round even though I didn’t complete all 18 holes?
• If I do post, am I posting it as an 18-hole score?
• What should I put for the holes I didn't play? My opponent says we should be entering net par; is that correct?
• And since this was a competition round, does that change anything?

-Jimmy B., Pasadena

The Ruling

Let's start by addressing the score posting aspect of this first. Yes, you can post any round to GHIN as long as you played at least nine holes with a Course Rating and Slope Rating (typically holes 1-9 or 10-18). You'll need post a hole-by-hole score for this using the 10-17 holes option in GHIN, although you will not enter an actual score for all 18 holes. While the procedure used to be to calculate net par for the unfinished holes as your opponent suggested, that is no longer how these rounds are posted. Here's how you should proceed for rounds where you play between 10 and 17 holes:

• Post hole-by-hole scores for every hole actually played (in this case, holes 1–16).
• Leave the unplayed holes (holes 17 & 18) blank.
• The GHIN system will automatically apply an Expected Score Differential for the holes not played. That expected score differential is based on the player’s Handicap Index and the normal distribution of scores for those holes, and is combined with the score differential of the holes you did play to produce a 18-hole Score Differential.

The fact that this was a competition round doesn't change anything when it comes to posting your score. As for settling the outcome of the competition, that all depends on the rules in place for that particular event. In this specific case of SCGA Team Play, the rule is to submit your scorecard as is. Only the holes played will be used to determine the outcome.