Lost Ball ruling!

Question
QUESTION: I have read the rule book and spoken to members of my club and I have still been unable to find a definitive answer to the following situations.
Situation:
While playing in a competition I hit a tee shot and it seems to head into some trees and bushes towards some out of bounds markers. I then take a provisional shot from the tee and hit it beautifully down the middle of the fairway leaving me with a perfect approach shot to the green.
As I am walking towards where my first ball may be I am thinking to myself that it may be better NOT to find it given the position of my provisional!
However I start to look but to be honest I'm not looking too hard when one of the other players says "here's your ball!"
Questions:
1. Can an opposing player identify the ball as mine?
2. Can I say I don't want the opposing player to help me find the ball?
3. Could I say that it isn't my ball and declare it lost?
4. Whilst I know you have up to 5 Mins to look for a ball can I only spend say 1 min before declaring it lost?
5. Would it have been within my rights to have just walked directly to the position of the provisional ball declaring the first lost without even looking for it?

I appreciate your help here..!



ANSWER: Greg:
Oops.  You can declare your ball lost at any time.  In this case, you now have to "play" your original.  To answer your questions, you have control over your golf ball.  You could have said to your fellow competitors, I think that ball is a goner, let's get on with it.  I'll play my provisional.  At that point, you have just declared the first ball lost.  Time to go play your provisional.  But, if you give it a half hearted attempt not really caring, they don't know that, so when they find the ball, you now have to deal with that ball.  So, let's answer the questions as I know them. 1.  An opposing player cannot identify the ball as yours, except if he is scoring for you and knows the markings on your ball.  Identifying that it is your ball is up to you.  2.  Yes, by simply declaring it lost before a search ever begins.  3.  No, why would you want to be a cheater?  4.  Yes.  5.  Yes, as stated before.  Hope this helps.  Remember, you have control over your own golf ball.  Playing by the rules is an important part of keeping the integrity of the game in tact for all golfers and competitions, so cheating or trying to get away with something (#3) is not the right thing to do.  I have played many a tournament round when my ball has been hit into a thicket or bushes or whatever that was real dense.  I did the same thing you did and made a decision it would be worse to actually find the ball, so I just said I'm done looking and I'll go play my provisional.  At that moment, I have declared my ball lost.  So even if someone would have found it out in the open, meaning we didn't look in the right place, too bad.  Other than that, it probably is in your best interest to take your medicine and play on wihtout delay.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Eddie
While thinking about your answer last night another grey area came to light!
As stated before I want to abide by the rules and not cheat or be unsportsmanlike as would be the case in scenario 3 so as an alternative solution:
Same situation: I hit a tee shot and it heads into the heavy rough/bushes and towards some out of bounds markers.
I therefore hit a 'provisional ball' and its a beautiful shot leaving me in a perfect position to approach the green.
Then I go to look for the my first ball and find it deep in a bush and no easy relief from this position around and would be lucky to get this ball to a similar position or better than my current provisional.

Looking at the R&A rules of golf it says "A player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course"
When I declare this ball unplayable one of the options is to go back to where I took the original shot and at a cost of a 1 stroke penalty re-take it.
So as I have already hit a provisional ball can I say that this 'originally provisional ball' is now my penalty shot and then rehit from its current position or would I have to still go back to the tee and take a 3rd tee shot with the ball I hit into the bushes?

Once again I appreciate your help!

PS Thre are lots of bushes on our course!!!!

Answer
Greg:
I am sorry if I did not answer this question, I thought I did, but saw it sitting in my email box.  I apologize.  You would have to go back and play your first ball, the one you found.  Your provisional ball is inconsequential at that point.  You may declare your ball unplayable at any time on the course, but then you must adhere to the rules for that ball.  Any other ball that you may have hit as a provisional is no longer valid.  You are correct.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member