by Rory McIlroy has told his teammates and equipment makers that their greed is the reason an impending rule change that will make almost all popular balls illegal will affect the entire game.
Sources have confirmed that the T&A and the US Golf Association will announce radical measures to limit the distance the balls will travel – but not, as originally planned, only for elite players.
At first, the governing bodies tried to introduce the regulations regarding tournament play only for the best professionals and amateurs. But a fierce reaction from some of the biggest names in the sport and from the PGA Tour and PGA of America and, no doubt, from within the equipment industry itself, has forced the T&A and USGA to undertake a complete overhaul.
The new ball will travel 15 to 20 yards shorter when launched by the major winners, but for the weekend hackers that reduction will be proportionately less, a point McIlroy was keen to make in his enthusiastic defense of the revamp. social media on Sunday morning. .
“I don’t understand the anger about rolling the golf ball back,” McIlroy said on X. “It’s not going to make any difference to the average golfer and it puts golf back on the path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been destroyed over the past two decades.”
However, McIlroy understands that recreational players will be upset about the impending need to change their agreement, even if they are likely to have until the end of the decade to make the move.
“The people who are upset about this decision shouldn’t be mad at the governing bodies, they should be mad at the best pros and club/ball manufacturers because they didn’t want a ‘bifurcation’. [the game being split into two parts],” McIlroy wrote.
“The governing bodies gave us that option earlier this year. Elites and ball manufacturers think that bifurcation would negatively affect their bottom lines, when in fact, the game is already bifurcated.
“Do you think we play the same things you do? They pressured the governing bodies to roll it back to a lesser extent for everyone. Bifurcation was the logical answer for everyone, but once again in this game, money talks.”
Woods: ‘I was always for bifurcation’
McIlroy isn’t the only superstar in the T&A and USGA corner. 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus has long called for a “shorter ball,” and Tiger Woods on Saturday emphasized his support for the move, albeit overdue.
The garlanded pair – who are both course designers – argued that classic courses are in danger of becoming obsolete as modern pros routinely drive 350 yards or more, reducing the test, in some cases, to drive, pitch and stick.
Longer courses are required, which not only results in the sometimes notorious extension of layouts but also increased maintenance costs, and the need for additional water and chemicals that raise environmental concerns. Rounds are also more time consuming to compete.
“We just don’t have enough property anymore,” Woods said at his event in the Bahamas. “We have wasted the [fact that the ball] Slowing down is necessary, but my whole career I’ve always been speeding up and here we are…I’ve always been for the bifurcation. I always said that. Just like wooden bats and metal bats [in baseball].”
Bradley: ‘I can’t think of anything more stupid’
The support of these heavy periods has undoubtedly impressed the governing bodies, but the majority opinion in the locker rooms is very much against the proposals, which will reportedly be introduced to the pro game in 2028.
“It’s great for the amateur world to hit the ball shorter,” said Keegan Bradley, the world No. 15, Saturday. “I can’t think of anything more stupid than that. I don’t think it’s very smart at all, especially with the growing popularity of golf coming off of Covid.”
The Tour had hoped that the powers that be would do a U-turn after all the disagreement during the consultation period, but an interview with Martin Slumbers, the R&A chief executive, last week revealed that it was immediately clear that the horror in progress. cards.
“Without a doubt, the ball is going further than it did 15 years ago,” Slumbers told Golf Digest. “And I see no reason to doubt that he will continue to do so. I am of this opinion for a long time. And for a long time, I had to keep it private. But when we published our remote report at the beginning of this process, I was very clear that, for the good of the game, we need to address this issue.
“We are very clear, as is CEO Mike Whan at the USGA. There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”
