Two years after he put up resistance to the idea, Rory McIlroy has thrown his support behind golf 's plans to reduce hitting distance in the sport.
It was in February 2020 that golf's governing bodies announced they were examining ways in which a shorter ball might be used in top-tier competitions. And the 'Distance Insights Project' last week proposed the 'Model Local Rule (MLR)', which would give events the option of using a ball that travels around 15 yards less.
McIlroy, 33, criticised the R&A and USGA 's reform project in February 2021 and suggested golf was better off focusing its efforts on other aspects of the game. His view "has evolved" since then - despite other golf stars voicing their distaste for the plans that could come into effect as soon as 2026 - as he compared it to Wimbledon slowing down courts and balls to stop big servers dominating tennis.
Former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was one player who slammed the plans as “atrocious” while his club manufacturer TaylorMade yesterday criticised the idea of having different equipment for pros and club players.
“I think this is only gonna help the better player,” McIlroy said, voicing his latest opinion. But the Ulsterman reckoned the new Model Local Rule will get away from the “bit bomb and gouge” of modern golf and make the sport more entertaining like tennis a generation ago.
Speaking to the No Laying Up podcast, he said: "I had a really good chat with the chairman of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club when I was at Wimbledon a few years ago. We were just talking about a few things and he said: ‘Rory, back in the early 2000s, when men's tennis was predominantly serve and volley, it wasn't very good for the entertainment aspect of the game.
"Rallies wouldn't last more than three shots. We can't make the court any bigger. So what we did do is we slowed the ball down and we changed the grass on the court to make it a little stickier.’ And then you fast forward from that change three years later and you've got Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal playing, probably one of the best finals of Wimbledon ever.
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“It's another example of another sport slowing the ball down and making some changes that I think has certainly benefited that sport. This isn't unique to golf, this happens in other sports as well.
"I was once of the opinion that they don't try to make Formula One cars go slower. Innovation is a part of every sport. It's a part of every industry. But whenever that innovation outgrows the footprint of the game, that's when I think we have a problem.”
Courses have tried to add distance to compensate for advances in technology. The par-5 13th hole at Augusta National - Azalea - has been increased by 35 yards to 545 yards this year. McIlroy said he was pleased the proposals “haven’t touched the recreational golfer”.
But he added: “For elite level play, I really like it. I really do. I know that’s a really unpopular opinion amongst my peers, but I think it’s going to help identify who the best players are a bit easier. Especially in this era of parity that we’ve been living in these past couple of decades. I think you’re gonna see people with more well-rounded games succeed easier than what the
“Selfishly, I think it helps me. I think this is only gonna help the better player. You know, it might help the longer player too, in some ways. But I think it's going to help the overall professional game. I think making guys hit some long irons again, and some mid irons, and being able to hit every club in your bag in a round of golf. … I can't remember the last time when I've had to do that. I don't know if this change in the ball will make us do that, but it certainly is a step closer to that.”
The four-time Major winner also said he could use the new ball in PGA Tour events even if it is only required in Majors. “If that gives me the best chance to succeed at the major championships and feel as prepared as I possibly can be, then that's what I would do,” he said.
Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas are among the PGA Tour professionals who have also raised red flags at the MLR model along with LIV rebel DeChambeau.
"I haven't talked to anybody in the USGA to understand why they're so focused on testing all our equipment, whether it's the driver, the ball, whatever it is," Rahm told reporters this week . "They're hyper-focused on making professional golf a little bit more difficult than it already is. I don't know why."
