[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

Rule #1-- the Tournament Committee has the right to set local rules for a competition as long as those rules don't break an existing rule of golf.

A scramble is a local rules event. So everyone is right here IF you are the committee. If you are not you are just dust in the wind.

If I were on the committee, I would not allow anything to count that wasn't the ball used. If your on the committee and feel otherwise it is your right under the rules.
The reality here is that the player who hit the 3 foot shot would take credit for it and the team wouldn't tell anybody they used another ball. Golfers, you know!

There is a good read on Amazon Books, Golf Murder Mysteries-Breaking the Rules
There are 9 stories of golfers getting murdered for breaking a rule of golf. Two of the stories occur in the Villages. A fun read. And the guy who lost the closest to the pin to the three foot guy, once he found out the situation, and depending on the value of the prize, could be driven to murder.

Bottom line here is when your running a tournament, you can set some local rules....

I think that's what I said.