Golf - the "Gimmee"
 

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.

No "gimmees" in stroke play.

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.

I never knew that.
Interesting.

Yes, and you can concede a hole at any point, and you can give a player a shot at any time. A common one is "good-good," where two guys have 3 foot knee-knockers and just concede each other's putts. That would sure lower my handicap if someone would do that when I play!!:p

Here are the special rules governing the order in Match Play:

Match Play

a. When Starting Play of Hole
The side that has the honor at the first teeing ground is determined by the order of the draw. In the absence of a draw, the honor should be decided by lot.

The side that wins a hole takes the honor at the next teeing ground. If a hole has been halved, the side that had the honor at the previous teeing ground retains it.

b. During Play of Hole
After both players have started play of the hole, the ball farther from the hole is played first. If the balls are equidistant from the hole or their positions relative to the hole are not determinable, the ball to be played first should be decided by lot.

Exception: Rule 30-3c (best-ball and four-ball match play).

Note: When the original ball is not to be played as it lies and the player is required to play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), the order of play is determined by the spot from which the previous stroke was made. When a ball may be played from a spot other than where the previous stroke was made, the order of play is determined by the position where the original ball came to rest.

c. Playing Out of Turn
If a player plays when his opponent should have played, there is no penalty, but the opponent may immediately require the player to cancel the stroke so made and, in correct order, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

What's that? ...Rock, paper, scissors ? ...A simple agreement ?

ANy of those things -- drawing straws, tossing tees, pulling numbers on a slip of paper from a hat, flipping a coin, ...

:)
Tossing tees? What's that?

You toss a tee into the air and where it lands nobody cares!:) Just kidding...you toss a tee and the person it points to (or points the closest to) has the honor.

Back in biblical days, the ball played first was decided by Lot.:D