This is an interesting golfing dilemma, with a video showing a ball that has been embedded in the ground into the lip of the cup.
There is a rule that goes part way to addresssing this, but it is unclear from the video whether the ball is resting against the flagstick.
That is golf’s Rule 13.2c.
If a player’s ball comes to rest against the flagstick left in the hole:
If any part of the ball is in the hole below the surface of the putting green, the ball is treated as holed even if the entire ball is not below the surface.
Elsewhere in the Rules, authorities define what it means for a ball to be holed.
Holed/1 – All of the Ball Must Be Below the Surface to Be Holed When Embedded in Side of Hole
When a ball is embedded in the side of the hole, and all of the ball is not below the surface of the putting green, the ball is not holed. This is the case even if the ball touches the flagstick.
Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s Senior Director of the Rules of Golf told Golf.com: “When dealing with a ball embedded in the side of the hole, we are only concerned with the entire ball being below the surface of the green, even is part of the ball is outside the circumference of the hole.
“If the entire ball is below the surface, the ball is holed. If the entire ball is not below the surface, the ball is not holed.”
Pagel added that the “Definition of Holed” section of the rulebook takes precedence. Rule 13.2c, exists for those times the ball is leaning against the flagstick but hasn’t fallen to the bottom of the cup — but isn’t embedded.
“But when dealing with a ball embedded in the side of the hole, this special case is not applicable because when the ball is embedded, generally speaking, the ball falling to the bottom of the hole is not dictated by the flagstick being there – it’s the ball being plugged into the putting green that is preventing it from falling in.”
