Rory McIlroy tweeted his views of the golf ball rollback this past weekend where he made a passionate defence of the plans to bring back hitting distances.
The four-time Major champion is a strong believer in bifurcation - where pros and amateurs play under different equipment rules - and said that the modern day pros are already using different clubs to recreational players.
"Elite pros and ball manufacturers think bifurcation would negatively affect their bottom lines, when in reality, the game is already bifurcated," McIlroy posted on X.
"You think we play the same stuff you do? They [elite pros and club/ball manufacturers] put pressure on the governing bodies to roll it back to a lesser degree for everyone. Bifurcation was the logical answer for everyone, but yet again in this game, money talks."
McIlroy's putting coach Brad Faxon was speaking on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio after the news broke on Wednesday, where he questioned why the governing bodies were rolling the ball back at such a successful time for the game, while also disagreeing with McIlroy's view that the game is already bifurcated.
"I think the big question we have to ask the USGA and the R&A is why are you doing this? Why now? What is making you decide that this is the right time when we're at all-time popularity for the game, on-course, off the course, viewership, you know we're about to see Tiger come back and play some more," Faxon said on Sirius XM.
"I just think everything about it smells. It doesn't make sense to me, and the idea that you should do something different, I mean unification has always been a part of this game and as a player, the amateurs that I played with always loved to come back to the tee we were playing from, see the drives we were hitting, see the irons into the greens.
"We've been doing that forever under the same set of rules and you might respond to the comments from, say, Rory who said we already have bifurcation and that is a pretty weak argument in my opinion because he might say the higher handicappers play from a shorter tee or that the clubs that the pros get to use are that much different. I don’t think they’re that much different. I mean there aren’t balls the pros are using that are not under the counter really at your pro shop."
"It doesn't make sense to me"Brad Faxon and Michael Breed talk about rolling back the golf ball while on A New Breed of Golf.@BradFaxon I @breed' pic.twitter.com/OmtYrt9ykCDecember 6, 2023
Rory McIlroy gave an interview with Sky Sports on Wednesday where he supported the rollback for the professional game, saying that it should bring more skill back into the elite sport.
"From a professional that plays the game, I think it’ll bring back some skills into the pro game that have maybe been lost," he told Sky Sports.
"I actually think it will make the pro game more entertaining to watch. I think you’re going to see a different variety of games succeed, it’s not just going to be this bomb and gouge that we see predominantly now when you watch the top level of golf."
"I think this change will make the game more skilful again" 💬World number two golfer Rory McIlroy has backed the new changes to rules regarding golf ball specifications which will see a reduce in distance they travel 🏌️👇 pic.twitter.com/XamHvgVhBADecember 6, 2023
The rolled back golf ball - which will travel up to 15 yards shorter for the longest hitters and somewhere around 5 yards shorter for the average handicap golfer - is set to hit the professional game in 2028, with the new rules not coming into play for recreational players until 2030.
