Binx waited, watching his ball at rest under the corner of someone else's desk.

It would cost the team one stroke, though, for illegally moving a ball at rest (the other moved ball doesn't matter because only one partner has to hole out).

The key difference between the two balls, the physicist would emphasize, is that the fast-moving baseball has more energy: if sent ricocheting through a china shop, for example, it would surely break more dishes than the ball at rest.

After the round and before he signed his scorecard, officials argued with Jones but he insisted that he had violated Rule 18, moving a ball at rest after address, and took a 77 instead of the 76 he otherwise would have carded.

The situation is covered by the Rules of Golf - rule 18-1 to be exact, which states, "If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, the player shall incur no penalty and the ball shall be replaced before the player plays another stroke."