“It’s the most atrocious thing” – LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau slams the proposed golf ball rollback plan
Bryson DeChambeau, one of the biggest hitters in golf right now, has criticized the new proposal of the USGA and The R&A which will allow the tournament organizers to restrict the distance golf professionals can hit.
On Wednesday, the USGA and The R&A proposed a new local rule in a joint announcement that would direct tournament organizers to permit only those golf balls that meet strict new testing standards. The purpose of this rule is to deal with the effects of increased hitting distances in golf.
This plan will restrict the traveling distance to 320 yards in important events. Although the CEO of The R&A, Martin Slumbers, and his USGA counterpart, Mike Whan, stated that the motive of the plan is to save the integrity of the game, the proposal wasn't well received by DeChambeau.
Prior to the start of LIV Golf's Tucson event, Bryson DeChambeau was quoted by the League's official website:
"If you could say I’m the complete opposite times 1,000, that’s what I would be," said DeChambeau. "It’s a great handicap for us guys that have worked really hard to learn how to hit it farther. Look, if they do it in a way where it only affects the top end, I see the rationale. But I think it’s the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf. It’s not about rolling golf balls back; it’s about making golf courses more difficult.”
The Model Local Rule (MLR) is proposed for the top events and will not affect recreational players. The rule will come into effect in 2026 if it gets passed. It will restrict the hitting distance by 15-16 yards.
"I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do,” said DeChambeau. “Everybody wants to see people hit it farther. That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do."
It's not just DeChambeau who has called out the USGA and R&A's proposal. Golf analyst Brendal Chamblee posted a series of tweets criticizing their latest proposal.
He wrote:
"It seems to me that this proposal by the USGA and R&A derives from what a very small number of people, namely the executive committees of the USGA and R&A, think about how a very small number of players, namely the longest hitters on the men’s tour, play a very few number of holes, namely a few at The Old Course and Augusta National and perhaps the 10th at Riviera and they are willing to disrupt the entire golf world for their interpretation of how the game is broken and how it should be fixed, with no convincing evidence for their position."
It seems to me that this proposal by the USGA and R&A derives from what a very small number of people, namely the executive committees of the USGA and R&A, think about how a very small number of players, namely the longest hitters on the men’s tour, play a very few number of
Golf equipment manufacturer Titleist has also criticized the proposed bifurcation of golf balls, calling it “a solution looking for a problem”.
What next for Bryson DeChambeau?
Bryson DeChambeau will next be seen at the LIV Golf League's second event of the season in Tucson. The tournament will take place from Friday, March 17, to March 19 at the Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona.
Bryson's team, Crushers GC, already won the LIV Golf Mayakoba event last month.