Questions about counting play and first ball lost after tee shot

1. if the first ball obviously came to rest in the high rough and is therefore difficult to find and play out, must the player search for his ball since his provisional ball lies so nicely on the fairway?

2. may a player instruct his team-mates not to look for the lost ball?

Answer:
In principle, only the player is responsible under Rule 7.1a for finding his ball in play after each shot, for which he has 3 minutes to search.

If you do not want to search for your original ball, but want to play the provisional ball, that is also OK.

Rule 18.3c (3)
A player may ask others not to search for the original ball if the player would prefer to continue playing with the provisional ball, but the other players are not obliged to comply with the request.

If the provisional ball has not yet become the ball in play and a ball has been found that could be the original ball, the player must make a reasonable effort to identify the ball. If the player fails to do so, the referees may disqualify the player under Rule 1.2a if they decide that this was serious misconduct in violation of the "Spirit of the Game".

There is also an interpretation of 18.3c(2)2
18.3c(2)/2 - Opponents or another player may search for the player's ball contrary to the player's request
Even if a player prefers to continue the hole with a provisional ball without searching for the original ball, the opponent or another player in counting play may search for the player's original ball as long as this does not unreasonably delay play. If the player's original ball is found while still in play, the player must give up the provisional ball (Rule 18.3c(3)).

Example: On a par-3 hole, a player's tee shot lands in dense woodland. He plays a provisional ball which comes to rest near the hole. In view of this situation, the player does not want to find the original ball and goes straight for the provisional ball to continue playing with it. The player's opponent or another player in the counting game is convinced that it would be to their advantage if the original ball was found, so they start looking for it.

If they find the original ball before the player takes another shot with the provisional ball, the player must abandon the provisional ball and continue with the original ball. However, if the player takes another shot with the provisional ball before the original ball is found, it becomes the ball in play as it was closer to the hole than the estimated location of the original ball (Rule 18.3c(2)).


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