Golf’s new rules are all the rage right now, and two in particular have garnered the most attention, those being that you can putt with the flagstick in and the requirement to drop the ball from knee height rather than shoulder height. Putting with the flagstick in seems to be the one players are coming around on, as Bryson DeChambeau has started a revolution of sorts. Adam Scott even went as far to say that he’d keep it in for a putt to win the Masters.
The knee-height drop rule, however, is still producing some mixed reactions. Jordan Spieth is not a fan, DeChambeau made a bit of a mockery of it during the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and also called it “absurd” that same week. Henrik Stenson appeared to have some trouble with it in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship:
Getting used to the new rules…. pic.twitter.com/fUhT5eLTjY
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 16, 2019
The best reaction so far came from Lee Westwood, who is also playing in Abu Dhabi this week. In the midst of firing a first-round, six-under 66, the Englishman found himself in a situation that required a drop. This was his first time, as he aptly and hilariously described it:
You'll never forget your first time… pic.twitter.com/y61lJsdvTR
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 16, 2019
An experience he will indeed never forget. Now he has to start broadening his horizons and trying new things…. like putting with the flagstick in. Let’s keep it G-rated people.
