PGA Tour confirms controversial rule change after Rory McIlroy took LIV Golf dig
The PGA Tour has confirmed that it will proceed with its controversial decision to roll back the golf ball after Rory McIlroy defended the move and took a dig at LIV Golf as “money talks.” The PGA Tour announced that it will proceed with plans to roll back the golf ball, a controversial move that was met with opposition. However, Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion, defended the move.
In recent months, there has been a lot of debate about how the golf ball has changed, with officials trying to keep courses from being taken over by the game’s ever-increasing hitting distance. The change was initially intended only for professional golf, but it will now also be implemented at the amateur level.
The choice to have the standard executed across all levels came after plans for bifurcation – geniuses and beginners utilizing different gear – were dismissed. The R&A and the PGA of America are now set to implement technological changes that will shorten the distance the ball travels.
On Wednesday, PGA Visit chief Jay Monahan sent a letter to individuals addressing the USGA and R&A choice to move back the golf ball. With a recreational allowance through 2030, the change will take effect in January 2028. Monahan penned: The present declaration considers past criticism from the PGA Visit that we accept a Model Neighborhood Rule connected with golf ball conformance isn’t to the greatest advantage of the game overall.”
The letter ended with these words: We will also continue our efforts to comprehend how course setup, design, and other competitive characteristics can mitigate the effects of distance and provide the opportunity for a diverse skill set to succeed at the highest level by utilizing ShotLink’s extensive data.
The PGA Visit’s choice comes after McIlroy supported plans for the golf ball to be moved back. The four-time major champion also took advantage of the situation to make fun of LIV Golf, the lucrative breakaway tour supported by Saudi Arabia that has divided golf.
“I don’t comprehend the outrage about the golf ball roll back,” McIlroy posted on X. “It will have no effect at all to the typical golf player and returns golf on a way of manageability. Additionally, it will assist in the return to the professional game of skills that have been lost over the past two decades.
The Northern Irishman likewise examined the bifurcation dismissal, and recommended it was connected to the steadily developing impact of cash inside the game – a subject which has become more important in the midst of the ascent of LIV Golf. McIlroy continued, Individuals who are irritated about this choice ought not be frantic at the administering bodies, they ought to be distraught at tip top professionals and club/ball makers since they didn’t need bifurcation.
That option was presented to us earlier this year by the governing bodies. Although the game is already bifurcated, elite pros and ball manufacturers believe that bifurcation would hurt their bottom lines. You believe that we play the same music as you? They exerted pressure on the governing bodies to lessen its impact on everyone. Bifurcation was everyone’s logical choice, but once more in this game, money rules.
