Can a caddie identify a found ball as belonging to his player?

A caddie cannot identify a found ball as belonging to his player because the rules of golf require that a player must verify that a ball is theirs. The responsibility to identify a ball falls on the player rather than the caddie, ensuring that any potential disputes about the ownership of the ball can be resolved fairly. This protocol is in place to maintain the integrity of the game, preventing misunderstandings or misrepresentations about which ball belongs to which player.

The role of the caddie is to assist the player in many ways, but when it comes to ball identification, the final say rests with the player—either through physical evidence such as markings on the ball or by confirming their own ball's location and condition during play. This means that, regardless of the situation or prior knowledge the caddie may have had, the definitive identification must come from the player themselves.