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2019 LONG BEACH OPEN

AMATEUR QUALIFIER

Conditions of Competition

Play is governed by the USGA Rules of Golf, Effective January 2019, the Local Rules as described in the Notice to Competitors distributed to players at the tournament site, and these Conditions of Competition. Unless otherwise noted, the penalty for breach of a Local Rule or Condition is the General Penalty.

THE COMPETITION: Qualifying will consist of 18 holes of stroke play. A minimum of 6 players from the field will be guaranteed a spot in the amateur field of the Long Beach Open, to be held August 8–11, 2019 at Skylinks and El Dorado Park Golf Courses. One alternate will also be determined through qualifying play. Additional qualifying spots may become available, depending on the status of qualifiers from other Festival championships.

TIME OF STARTING: All players must be present at the proper tee at their scheduled time, ready to play, or if starting times fall behind, when the starter calls the first player in the group to play. Any player not present and ready to play at the time the first player in the group is called to the tee, shall be assessed the General Penalty. If the competitor arrives more than five (5) minutes late for his assigned or adjusted starting time he SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED.

DRESS CODE: Appropriate golf clothing must be worn at all times; no denim pants, short shorts, tee shirts, or tank tops.

CODE OF CONDUCT: By submitting an entry for any Long Beach Golf Festival-administered competition, the contestant understands that he/she may be Disqualified by the LBGF Committee under Rule 1.2b at any time before or during the competition for unbecoming conduct, including, but not limited to:

Willful damage of the golf course or golf course property
Club throwing
Offensive, threatening, or unbecoming language or actions
Verbal abuse of LBGF staff, officials, volunteers, host club staff, or other competitors
Potential endangerment of others
Manipulation of scores posted for handicapping purposes or other acts of cheating

TEE MARKERS & HOLE LOCATIONS: Competitors will play from the BLUE tee markers. Hole Location Sheets will be available at the Starter’s table. All players will tee off on Hole #10.

CONFORMING EQUIPMENT LISTS: For driver heads, Local Rule as prescribed in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures is in effect (Model Local Rule G-1). For golf balls, Local Rule as prescribed in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures is in effect (Model Local Rule G-3). Regarding club grooves and punch-mark specifications, Local Rule as prescribed in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures is in effect (Model Local Rule G-2).

DISTANCE-MEASURING DEVICES: Hand-held or other devices (yardage or GPS devices) may be used, but ONLY to measure distance. Players using devices with features that gauge or measure other conditions in addition to distance (e.g. wind or gradient) must switch those feature(s) off during tournament play (Rule 4.3a). The General Penalty will be assessed for a first violation, and the player will be Disqualified for a second violation.

CADDIES: Caddies are allowed, under the following conditions:

Caddies may drive or ride in the cart of the player for whom they are caddying. They may not, however, drive a cart if the player for whom they are caddying has chosen to walk the round.
Non-competing individuals riding in a cart with a player are thereby designated as Caddies, and are therefore subject to the provision of Rule 10.3c for any breach of the Rules of Golf.
Caddies must not hold up play or challenge Rules Committee or Tournament Officials' directions.
Caddies may not give a "playing lesson" during the tournament or hold up play in any manner. Caddies may be asked to leave by the Rules Committee or Tournament Director if a delay occurs due to their actions.

PROMPT PACE OF PLAY: Rule 5.6b states "A round of golf is meant to be played at a prompt pace.” Accordingly, the Committee has established the following Local Rules: A group is deemed out of position when starting the play of any par 4 or par 5, which is clear of all players, and the elapsed time for the round averages 15 minutes or more for the holes completed. In such case, all players in the group shall be notified that they are being observed and timed. A player is subject to penalty if his group is out of position, has been informed that they will be timed, and takes more than 40 seconds to play ANY stroke. Penalties for failure to maintain a prompt pace are as defined: First offense – warning; second offense – one stroke; third offense – two additional strokes; fourth offense – Disqualification.

SCORECARDS: Signed and attested scorecards shall be returned, without delay, to the designated scoring area following the stipulated round. Once the player has exited the designated scoring area the card is deemed officially submitted.

PLAYOFF: In case of a tie for the final qualifying position or positions, there will be a sudden death playoff to determine the winner(s). The playoff will start on a tee designated by the Committee, and will begin within five minutes of the determination that a tie exists.

WHEN COMPETITION IS FINAL: The Competition is closed when the Long Beach Open exemption forms have been presented to the qualifying players.

POSTING SCORES: The Long Beach Golf Festival Committee will post a Tournament score to the GHIN system for each player that maintains a USGA handicap on that system.