Remember how a few months ago, USGA CEO Mike Whan expressed his disappointment with Jay Monahan for not honoring their previous agreements regarding the rollback? Back in February, the USGA and R&A announced their plan to roll back the golf ball, which sparked a heated debate among governing bodies, manufacturers, and players. Despite several indications, rumors suggested that the PGA of America and the PGA Tour did not agree with the rollback. Now, we find ourselves back in the conversation, with Mike Whan softening his previous remarks.
Recently, Mike Whan sat down for an interview at 5 Clubs with Gary Williams to discuss the latest updates at USGA. The conversation eventually reached the issue plaguing Mike Whan’s mind for quite some time now, amid Fred Ridley’s comments earlier this month at Augusta National. Discussing the situation, Whan said, “I would say you know since really The PLAYERS Championship and, as recently as last week at Augusta, we’ve had really good what I would consider collaborative constructive, um, industry partner gatherings talking about the implementation of what we need to do between now and 2028 and 2030.”
Mike Whan reassured that while the process may be long, the USGA is looking into the issues raised by both the PGA Tour and PGA of America. We haven’t received the latest update from the Tour, however, in July 2024, the PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan informed the R&A and USGA that the Tour would not support the proposed golf ball rollback, which aimed to reduce hitting distance by approximately 15 yards. This year, however, Mike Whan shared an update about the rollback by calling out Jay Monahan and others’ hypocrisy for backing out on their promises by citing a lack of consultation and conflicting data.
Additionally, Monahan cited a “widespread and significant belief” that the proposed Modified Local Rule was unnecessary and not in the best interest of the game. The USGA received plenty of different opinions from different golfers. While golfers like Rory McIlroy supported the idea, golfers like Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau dismissed the idea.
However, Augusta National showed support for the decision earlier this month. Fred Ridley, ahead of the Masters, said, “Once again, I am here reaffirming our support of the governing bodies and their efforts to address the issue of distance.” Rory McIlroy shared similar feelings last year by saying, “It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past two decades.” While we wait for more updates regarding the situation, let’s try to understand why the USGA is insisting on this rule, despite many oppositions.
Why is Mike Whan’s USGA bringing this new rule into the sport?
For instance, the rollback aims to reduce hitting distances for elite players, such as Bryson DeChambeau, by altering the manufacturing and testing standards for golf balls. Under the new proposals, golf balls struck at a robot-controlled swing speed of 125 mph must not exceed 317 yards, thereby maintaining the Overall Distance Standard despite the increased swing speed. Additionally, the testing conditions for spin rate and launch angle will be adjusted to 2200 rpm and 11 degrees, respectively, based on extensive analysis from global tours.
It’s likely we will receive more updates in the following weeks, however, until then, let’s wait for updates from the Tour and PGA of America.
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