Embedded Ball Ruling

Question
My opponents ball appeared to be embedded in the fairway. The problem is the conditions were we had just had 7 days of completely dry weather and there is no way it could have been it's own pitch Mark. I gave him a free drop but wanted to know if this was the correct rule..Thanks..This was a fourball match.

Answer
Hi Tom:

He would have the right to check his ball to see if it was indeed embedded in it's own pitch mark.  He would mark the ball, carefully lift the ball to see if it is, then would make the judgement from there.  It sounds like it would be impossible for it to do that, but if you just gave him the drop, he took advantage of you being a nice guy.  I would have had him mark it, check to see if it was in it's own pitch mark while watching him lift it, then proceed from there.  If the ball was just sitting down in the grass, then no lift.  He would have to replace the ball in the exact condition it was in (I'd watch that too), and play away.  If it was, then he would have been entitled to a drop.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member