In a four-ball stroke play event, what is the ruling if a player is late for his tee time and arrives after his partner has teed off on the 4th hole?

When a player is late for their tee time in a four-ball stroke play format, the rules allow some flexibility regarding their participation. If a player arrives after their partner has already teed off on the 4th hole, the player is not disqualified. Instead, they may join their partner on the next hole, which is the 5th, without incurring any penalty.

In four-ball stroke play, each player plays their own ball, and the best score between the partners is recorded for each hole. Therefore, the late arrival impacts only the player's participation for the current hole, not the entire match or the status of their tournament. This system allows for a new chance for the late player to contribute to the team score once they arrive. If a player were to miss the entire round, that would certainly result in a more severe penalty, but in this case, the structure of the event accommodates the late arrival on the next hole.