Page type: Result notation (illustrative worked fixture)
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Read the result notation
5 And 4 is a match-play result, not a total-strokes score. Alex leads Ben by 5 with 4 holes unplayed. Rule 3.2a(1) bases each hole on the lower score, a concession, or loss of hole.
Illustrative gross-score fixture
The table uses invented gross scores: a 4 beats a 5, while equal 4s tie a hole. It is a worked example only and does not describe historical play, handicaps or a universal settlement rule.
Finish check
After hole 14, Alex is 5 up with 4 left, so 5 is greater than 4. The Python check also confirms that every earlier completed hole leaves the lead no greater than the holes remaining.
Table
| Hole | Alex gross | Ben gross | Hole result | Cumulative match lead after hole | Holes remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 17 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 16 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 15 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 14 |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 13 |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 12 |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 11 |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 10 |
| 9 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 1 up | 9 |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 2 up | 8 |
| 11 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 3 up | 7 |
| 12 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 4 up | 6 |
| 13 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 5 up | 5 |
| 14 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | Alex 5 up | 4 |
Worked example
Illustrative fixture only: all players and gross scores are invented; it is not historical data.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 3.2a(1), (3) and (4)
Sources: www.randa.org
Common questions
Does 5 and 4 identify the winner?
Yes. On this card Alex reaches "5 and 4" on hole 14 of 18 (4 to 4 that hole), ending the match there under Rule 3.2a(3); the notation itself records the 5-hole margin and the 4 holes left unplayed.
Does 5 and 4 prove who won the last hole?
No. "5 and 4" only records that Alex's lead reached 5 with 4 holes left after hole 14 of this 18-hole fixture; it does not by itself show the hole-14 gross scores (4 for Alex, 4 for Ben on this card). The scorecard above supplies one way to reach that margin, not the only one.
Are the gross scores the match result?
No. Gross scores decide each of the 14 holes played in this "5 and 4" example; match play then records holes won, lost or tied rather than total strokes, which is why the result is written "5 and 4" and not as a stroke total.
Can the match have been decided on an earlier hole?
Not in this fixture: the table above shows every hole from 1 to 14, and on each of the 13 earlier holes Alex's lead was always less than or equal to the holes remaining -- hole 14 is the first point where 5 up exceeds the 4 holes left. A different sequence of results could reach "5 and 4" earlier or later; this card is one illustrative route to it.
What if the match is all square after the final scheduled hole?
This "5 and 4" fixture does not reach that state -- its 5-hole lead is decided on hole 14 with 4 holes still scheduled in the 18-hole round, before an all-square finish could even arise. In general, where a match is still undecided after the last scheduled hole, it may stand as a tie only when the Terms of the Competition allow that; otherwise Rule 3.2a(4) extends it one hole at a time until there is a winner.
Is this a historical scorecard?
No. This "5 and 4" card's Alex, Ben and every gross score from hole 1 to hole 14 are invented instructional data built to land on a 5-and-4 finish, not a report of an actual 18-hole match.