In a match where a player wins the first three holes but has 15 clubs in his bag at the 4th tee, what is the status?

In match play, the status of a player can change due to rule violations, such as carrying more than the allowed number of clubs in a bag, which is limited to 14. When a player starts a match and wins the first three holes, they are initially three up. However, upon being found to have 15 clubs in their bag at the fourth tee, the rules dictate that the player must incur a penalty.

According to the guidelines in the Rules of Golf, if a player is found to be in breach of the rules by exceeding the club limit, they are deemed to have lost the hole. Therefore, if the player was three up after winning the first three holes, the infraction results in the loss of the fourth hole. This would change the player’s status from three up to two up. However, because the question includes a situation where the opponent may receive an advantage from the infraction, the opponent is effectively considered to be one up following the penalty.

Thus, while this may seem complicated, the scenario effectively leads to the conclusion that due to the infraction, the player is now one up as they have lost the hole for having too many clubs. The correct status reflects the consequences of the rule violation within the context provided