The PGA Tour announced it will go ahead with plans to roll back the golf ball, a controversial move which was met with opposition – but four-time major champion Rory McIlroy defended it
Following Rory McIlroy’s defense of the controversial decision to roll back the golf ball and jab at LIV Golf, claiming that “money talks,” the PGA Tour has announced that it will proceed with the move.
In recent months, there has been a heated debate about how the golf ball is evolving. Officials are concerned about courses being overtaken by players’ ever-increasing hitting distance. The modification, which was originally only going to be implemented in professional golf, is now also going to be implemented at the amateur level.
The decision to have the rule implemented across all levels came after plans for bifurcation – pros and amateurs using different equipment – were rejected. Both the R&A and PGA of America are now set to go through with technology changes to reduce the distance the ball is hit.
Commissioner Jay Monahan of the PGA Tour wrote a letter to members on Wednesday regarding the USGA and R&A’s decision to roll back the golf ball. The modification will go into effect in January 2028 and provide a recreational allowance through 2030. According to Monahan, the announcement made today “takes into account previous feedback from the PGA Tour, which we believe is not in the best interests of the game as a whole and relates to a Model Local Rule related to golf ball conformance.”
The letter concluded with: “We will also continue efforts we are making using the breadth of ShotLink data to understand how course set-up, design and other competitive characteristics can help mitigate the effects of distance while also providing the opportunity for a diverse skill set to succeed at the highest level.”
The PGA Tour’s decision comes after McIlroy backed plans for the golf ball to be rolled back. The four-time major champion also took the opportunity to take a dig at LIV Golf, the lucrative Saudi-backed breakaway tour that has divided golf.
“I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball roll back,” McIlroy posted on X. “It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past two decades.”
The Northern Irishman also discussed the bifurcation rejection, and suggested it was linked to the ever-growing influence of money within the game – a topic which has become more relevant amid the rise of LIV Golf. McIlroy added: “The people who are upset about this decision shouldn’t be mad at the governing bodies, they should be mad at elite pros and club/ball manufacturers because they didn’t want bifurcation.
That choice was made available to us earlier this year by the governing bodies. Despite the fact that the game is already divided, elite players and ball manufacturers believe that bifurcation will have a negative impact on their bottom lines. Do you believe we play the same games as you? They exerted pressure on the authorities to reduce it to a level that is more manageable for all. Everyone agreed that splitting up would be the best course of action, but in this game, money talks. .”