The decision by the R&A and USGA to revisit the timeline for the ball rollback, and the timing of the announcement on the Friday before the annual PGA Show in Orlando, was not a coincidence.
Despite the top two players in the world having to give up their drivers after creeping into nonconforming status ahead of the PGA Championship and the surrounding hubbub from certain quarters suggesting the driver test needed to be rethought, the USGA will not be changing its plans for testing at next week’s US Open.
Rules officials are not there to decide on the validity of the rules, but rather to enforce them and make sure they’re administered equally for all 156 players in the field.
Thomas Pagel, chief governance officer for the USGA, spoke to Golf Digest on the topic of why the decision to include a rollback for all levels of golfers.
The test would not change for the golf balls used for recreational play, but the balls used under this new proposed test for elite competition could result in a distance decrease of at least 15-20 metres, perhaps more.
The ban, it would seem, would only apply to the PGA Tour, and the books would not be made illegal in the Rules of Golf. It’s also not yet clear what, exactly, the ban would cover, or how it would be implemented.
Starting January 1, these associations collectively will no longer field rules inquires from viewers watching golf-tournament broadcasts on TV or streaming online as part of a new set of video review protocols.
The R&A and USGA have received comments on the proposed new Rules from more than 22,000 golfers in 102 countries, as well as representatives of golf organisations throughout the world.
The R&A and USGA have announced the implementation – effective immediately – of a New Decision to the Rules of Golf that will mitigate the power of video evidence while reinforcing the traditional reliance on player integrity in making rulings at televised events.
Australian Golf Digest
