"It could lead to division" PGA of America boss SLAMS golf ball rollback plans

PGA of America boss Seth Waugh has no interest in altering the golf ball for professional circuits beginning in 2026, as proposed by USGA and R&A.

Andy Roberts

07 Aug 2023

"It could lead to division" PGA of America boss SLAMS golf ball rollback plans — "It could lead to division" PGA of America boss SLAMS golf ball rollback…

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh has hit back at the USGA and R&A's proposals to alter the golf ball for professional circuits beginning in 2026, according to a memo obtained by Golf Channel.

Earlier this season, golf's governing bodies the USGA and R&A revealed plans to rollback the golf ball at Tour level in a bid to curb the ever-increasing distances being achieved among the men's pro ranks across the globe.

The golf ball rollback proposals may have sat well with PGA Tour legend Rory McIlroy, who explained his "selfish" opinion in a recent interview, but many other stars could not disagree more.

Would you like to see the proposed golf ball rollback plans go ahead in the pro game in 2026?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) August 7, 2023

Justin Thomas 'ranted' on this subject for several minutes before the Valspar Championship earlier this season.

Sam Burns then joined in, criticising the "silly" idea.

Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler ripped into it at length.

Former European Ryder Cup winning captain and now golf analyst Paul McGinley has had plenty to say on the subject, too.

But it's the views of PGA of America boss Seth Waugh that could have the biggest say in quashing the USGA and R&A's plans.

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The PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, runs the US PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship.

It also co-organizes the Ryder Cup with Ryder Cup Europe, which is controlled by the European Tour.

That is why the 2023 US Ryder Cup team captained by Zach Johnson is currently permitted to have as many LIV Golf players on their team as possible as the biennial event is run by the PGA of America.

| Move aside, Phil Mickelson and Collin Morikawa.
LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka and PGA of America boss Seth Waugh have combined to create golf's latest meme. pic.twitter.com/A45kivxLbo
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) May 22, 2023

In Waugh's hard-hitting memo sent to the USGA and R&A last month, which was today obtained by Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard, the PGA of America boss revealed he fears "division" by going down such a rollback route in the pro game.

Waugh delved deeper into a number of different issues he sees by rolling back the golf ball, and he also explained how he was not comfortable with elite women playing a "recreational ball" as it "could be viewed very negatively".

READ WAUGH'S LETTER HERE:

World Alliance of PGA’s (including the PGA of America) push back on proposed Model Local Rule on the golf ball, in memo obtained by https://t.co/ojzg81G2up pic.twitter.com/wpBfzkrzPX
— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 7, 2023

Waugh wrote:

"We fear that the proposed changes could seriously interrupt the current momentum in the game and be fundamentally damaging and detrimental in the long run.

"It is something that we feel could lead to division and cause us to lose a very precarious characteristic of golf; the fact that we all play on the same course with the same clubs and balls. In our view, this dynamic should be preserved as a fundamental tenet.

“There are a number of operational issues related to the two-ball scenario including, but not limited to: policing of players to ensure they are playing the right ball, retailers having to stock two different specifications of balls, certain players playing different balls for different events and ranges (and coaches) having to provide both balls for different golfers.

"We believe that any changes to the golf ball will have the consequence of also leading to changes to virtually all golf clubs which are built to perform best around the characteristics of the golf ball. Handicap course ratings across will also need to be revisited and revised.

"Lastly and importantly, the suggestion that elite women should play the ‘recreational ball’ could be viewed very negatively at a time when we are all trying to promote and champion women’s golf and participation."

In June, Waugh hit out at the PGA Tour's shock merger with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), claiming "our brand has been dragged into it."

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