“Not my property, return it. I’m stupid that way.”
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I am a bit confused.
Did the golfer not toss the ball to the crowd for some lucky
person to catch it?
If that is the case, the catcher becomes the new owner
of the ball, and is under no ethical, moral, or legal
reason to return the ball, or give it to anyone.
Am I missing something here?
If the tradition is for the club to have the ball, why would it have been tossed to the crowd?
You are assuming an implied contract that may not actually exist.
I can toss you something, and it still remains my property.
But, in your case, I probably wouldn't. Even if it was a life vest.
/johnny
The golfer out of excitement threw the ball to the crowd, releasing ownership at that point.
The excited fan who caught it, excited as well to receive the ball.
No one at that point has any obligation to each other.
The Club has no ownership as well.
However: this being a historic ball, the fan determined that it should be returned, as is a good thing. Without it being autographed or somehow labeled in some way. It would be worthless now or down the road. No way to prove it.
The fan did the best thing, that is what good golfers and fans do. It's a gentlemans honor thing.