Golf - the "Gimmee"

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by mick

Today, in a final playoff hole, J B Holmes was laying 5, and Paul Casey putted just inside Holmes and was laying 4.
Casey putted in for the win (I assume he asked permission), and then picked up J B Holmes' ball marker and handed the marker to Holmes.
Seemed like a polite, golf-like gesture.
Of course, Holmes putt would have been moot, but I wonder if anyone here can give a rule for tournament play in the PGA, with respect to a "Gimmee", or is there no such rule, aside from that Match Play stuff.
Thanks.

In a sudden death playoff, since his putt was now meaningless, so Casey was just being polite. In match play, you cannot play out of turn, but there is no penalty for playing out of turn in stroke play. It is customary to finish out when all you have is a tap-in. He would have marked his ball and let Holmes putt if it had been a longer putt.