After the USGA and R&A proposed a return to the golf ball in recent months, top players are divided over what the limit is on carry distance.
Rory McIlroy has reignited the debate over the golf ball going backwards, after the Northern Irishman called TPC River Highlands was “obsolete” at last week’s Travelers Championship.
McIlroy finished tied for seventh at the Travelers, five shots behind eventual champion Keegan Bradley. Bradley’s victory was historic, having shot a career-high 23-under-par over his four rounds.
For McIlroy though, the record score was not something to celebrate, the four-time major winner maintaining his view that ever-evolving equipment technology is benefiting PGA Tour On Sunday, he said: “I don’t particularly like it when a tournament goes like this.
“Unfortunately, technology has gotten past that. It’s kind of made it obsolete, especially with the ground being as soft as it has been with some rain we’ve had.”
The debate around technology has become a hot topic and has intensified in recent months, particularly in relation to the golf ball. The move comes after the R&A and USGA announced plans to move the ball backwards, which will limit the distance the golf ball can travel, in a bid to keep courses and events competitive at a professional level.
McIlroy himself is one of the greatest golfers, but he has surprisingly supported the idea known as the “Modern Local Rule.” Addressing the course Sunday, McIlroy alluded to the layout of the Los Angeles County Club, which hosted the U.S. Open a week earlier. “I think the model for a really good golf course is not to make the rough bigger and the fairways narrower,” he added.
“It brings everyone together. The plan resembles that of the Los Angeles Country Club where you have big targets, but if you miss them, it’s a penalty. This (TPC River Highlands) is not that kind of golf course. It’s not that kind of layout. There’s no land to do that.
“You know, unfortunately, when you have conditions that soft and you have the best players in the world, that’s what’s going to happen.” Once again, McIlroy’s opinion on the LACC came as a shock, after the course received much criticism from his fellow stars. In particular, Brooks Koepka expressed his concerns about the third major championship of the year, commenting: “I’m not a big fan of this place.
“I’m not a big fan of blind tee shots, and I think there are some places where no matter what you hit, the ball always ends up in the same place. I think it would be more fun to play on a regular course than a U.S. Open. I mean, what, two eights yesterday? That doesn’t happen.”
The same can be said of Koepka’s stance on the rollback, having once again revealed that he’s not a big fan of the idea. “I think it could push the best players away from the top,” he added. “And there could be a bigger gap between the best players and the rest of the field. I’m not really for it.”
