Martin Slumbers Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

5 different golf ball rollback scenarios, explained for amateur golfers

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 05:28:59 +0000

There’s a storm brewing in golf right now. Well, another storm.

As Golf Digest reported last week, there is a golf ball rollback, in some form, coming.

“We have been very clear, as has [CEO] Mike Whan at the USGA,” R&A head Martin Slumbers told Golf Digest last month. “There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”

The golf ball rollback, if you’re unfamiliar, is a proposed rule change by the USGA and R&A, golf’s rule-making bodies, to address the continued increase in the distance professional golfers are hitting the ball. Proponents of the rollback say it protects historic golf courses from becoming obsolete, among other things. Opponents of the rollback say these are golf’s old-school elitists trying to hamper progress.

Personally, I’m a sceptic on the rollback, but wherever you land, it’s increasingly clear that something is going to happen, and probably soon with a rule that will apply eventually to all golfers, not just elite players. So let’s do a quick runthrough of a few potential outcomes, ranked from least to most severe.

Rollback fails, status quo remains

Given all the efforts in recent years to study the issue, then take a stance that distance is a matter that needs to be addressed, and with the pending rule set to be announced, it’s hard to see the governing bodies announcing a full-on retreat anytime soon. However, there’s a potential case they may be forced into one. Perhaps it’s via a lawsuit from equipment manufacturers, or blowback from the public that’s so heated they get spooked. Or maybe the game’s other power players, like the various tours, simply refuse to abide by the new rule, which pulls the governing bodies back from their plans.

Again, it’s unclear how or if the governing bodies could land in a “let’s just forget about it” position, but the result would be the least drastic of all: Golf takes the scenic route to everything staying the same.

Forty years ago, in the December 1983 edition of the magazine, Golf Digest was exploring the possibility that the distance golf balls were travelling might require action from golf’s governing bodies.

Tournament-specific golf balls

Of course, everything above would require the powers that be to back away from their own idea of a rollback. But if the response to impacting average golfers with a rollback is harsh enough, it could be that the governing bodies return to their original proposal of a model local rule. The fight to get here though might be so heated that potentially they only enact that rule sparingly, on specific courses. The Open Championship at the Old Course, for instance, or the U.S. Open at Merion, etc.

Week in, week out, things will basically stay the same. But when the championship goes to a legacy course that can’t or won’t be changed, then the rolled back ball comes out.

Competitive-recreational golfer split

Turn the temperature one notch further up, and you’ve got something similar to the previous proposal being adopted (aka, a local rule that can be enacted at-will by tournaments), but one that isn’t used sparingly. Rather, it’s adopted on a wider scale as a new normal.

Every USGA or R&A tournament adopts the rolled-back ball, for instance, or every NCAA tournament. This would, I would guess, end up dividing down competitive-recreational golfer lines. If you’re playing in non-handicap stroke play tournaments, there’s a good chance you’re using the rolled back ball.

Of course, this gets messy if the major tours, like the PGA Tour, doesn’t adopt the rule (which officials have said is their current stance), but we’ll get to that …

Rollback for everyone

Perhaps it’s posturing, perhaps it’s hinting at what’s ahead. But there were inklings in Slumbers’ comments that it may be cleaner to adopt a rollback across all of golf. And that is what sources tell Golf Digest is coming soon from the USGA and R&A.

This is one of the scenarios in which the proposed rule would likely affect you, the golfer. The rolled back ball is designed to chop 20 yards off the drives of golf’s best players. What would it mean for you? Without knowing the ball, it’s hard to know. Probably something slightly less but similar.

Some golfers would say they would simply refuse to adopt the rolled back ball, as they’ve indicated in a recent Golf Digest poll in which more than 60 per cent of respondents said they wouldn’t honour a new rule that restricted distance.

Breakaway chaos

And then there’s the most severe outcome of them all: Some kind of standoff that doesn’t get resolved, and instead escalates the divide.

What do I mean? Let’s say the USGA and R&A announce a rollback of some sort, whether for some or all. But then, the PGA Tour and LIV refuse to adopt it, and many of the major equipment manufacturers simply refuse to make a new golf ball model. Perhaps there’s even a threat to form a breakaway governing body to compete with the others.

Who knows how it’ll all turn out, all that’s clear is that in this scenario, it gets messy. Very messy.

Main image: Eóin Noonan

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R&A CEO Martin Slumbers says distance rollback decisions will be revealed by end of the year

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 03:59:40 +0000

Distance. Specifically, how far golf’s leading practitioners can these days propel balls with their turbo-charged equipment, is the aspect of the game that, surely more than any other, bonds the regulatory bodies. Standing side-by-side, arm-in-arm and shoulder-to-shoulder, the R&A and the USGA are currently going head-to-head with a variety of interested parties in a battle for the future of the sport.

“Unequivocally, the ball is going further than it did 15 years ago,” says R&A CEO Martin Slumbers in an exclusive interview with Golf Digest. “And I see no reason to doubt it will not continue to do so. I’ve long been of this view. And for a long time, I had to keep it private. But once we published our distance report at the start of this process, I was very clear that, for the good of the game, we need to address this issue.

“From that point of view and from an environmental point of view, we have to do something,” he continues. “We have been very clear, as has [CEO] Mike Whan at the USGA. There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”

For those keeping score, the ruling bodies got together earlier this year and proposed a Model Local Rule (MLR) that gives competition organizers the option to require use of golf balls that are tested under modified launch conditions to address the impacts of hitting distance in golf. The MLR was intended for use only in elite competitions and, if adopted, would have no impact on recreational golf.

But it wasn’t well received in certain influential quarters, and there was much debate and documents filed during the official comment period that ended in August.

“The game was not happy with the Model Local Rule,” admits Slumbers. “There was a view that it would create a bifurcated game at the elite level. It was a very strong pushback against that. The PGA Tour was very public about it. So was the PGA of America. A number of players spoke out. And our job is to listen.

“But our responsibility is to the long-term future of the game. Along with the USGA, the R&A is a custodian of the game. We’re responsible for our period of time, something that has gone on for hundreds of years and will go on for hundreds more. So, we are listening. And we have made a decision about what we are going to do. We’re working that through at the moment and will make it public before the end of the year.”

While we stay tuned on that one, the R&A recently released the Open Qualifying Series of events that will offer places in the game’s oldest championship at Royal Troon in July 2024. It is a system that has come under are scrutiny since the arrival of LIV Golf. Has the Saudi-backed circuit complicated the process?

“If you look at the qualifications for last year’s Open and the way we structured the field for the 2023 Open, I’m very comfortable we created the opportunities for what we want,” says Slumbers. “That’s the best global field we can get. I care about global. And we did that. There are enough spots between top-50 exemptions on the world rankings, plus our qualifying events in South Africa, Australia, Japan, on the Asian Tour and final qualifying. I am confident that we find the best players and get them into the field. We will do the same again next year.”

Mention of the Asian Tour does raise one other area of contention. Two years ago, the R&A removed the Open exemption granted to the winner of the Asian Tour.

“We feel like our Order of Merit winner is deserving of playing in a major,” said Asian Tour CEO Cho Min Thant. “All four of them.”

Indeed, given that Open places are allocated to players who qualify from relatively weak fields like the one in this week’s Joburg Open, it seems like an odd decision. But it is one Slumbers defends.

“The argument, which I have explained to the head of the Asian Tour a number of times, is to look at this in the round,” says the Englishman. “We give 19 spots available to players from the Asia-Pacific region into the Open Championship. There was 20 when we exempted the Order of Merit winner. But the 19 spots are available to any who plays on his tour, or in the other qualifying events in that region. That’s 19 out of a field of 156, which is something around 14 percent. That is absolutely reflective of the relative strength of the players in Asia-Pacific.

“I much prefer to see the qualifiers come from 72-hole stroke-play tournaments,” continues Slumbers. “In a whole series of events with a whole series of mixed-ability fields. So, it is better to focus on the Open Qualifying events which contain the strongest fields in Asia-Pacific region during that year. If we want the best players from that region, that is the best way to achieve it.”

On a happier Open-related note, the prospect of the championship being played outside the United Kingdom at Portmarnock, just outside Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, is not something Slumbers dismisses out-of-hand.

“The club has talked to us about it,” he says. “The course is a world-class links. But there are infrastructure challenges. We are going to play the Women’s Amateur there in 2024 and we had the Amateur Championship there a couple of years ago. They have had the Walker Cup there, too. The position at the moment, which we support, is that the club is working with the Irish government to ascertain if there would be support for them to make a credible proposition. We will wait and see what happens there.”

Image: Matthew Lewis/R&A

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Masters, Open execs reject latest ideas that would create a path for LIV golfers into the majors

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 09:25:39 +0000

Based on the responses to questions about the status of LIV golfers in major championships put to Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley and R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers on Thursday in Australia, it does not appear LIV members will be given a special category into the Masters and Open Championship in 2024.

Earlier this month, the LIV league was denied an application for Official World Golf Ranking points based on its team element and lack of promotion/relegation. LIV’s star players, such as Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, then called for a category to be made to ensure LIV’s players are not frozen out of golf’s four majors as their world rankings have taken a hit. DeChambeau called for the top 12 on LIV’s money list to be exempt into the majors, and LIV’s acting COO Gary Davidson (they have since appointed a new COO) said the league was in early discussions with organisers of two of the majors about the pathways into the tournaments.

Asked whether the Masters and the Open would create such exemptions for 2024, Slumbers brought up a recent media report suggesting talks were already under way to specifically include LIV golfers, and he rejected that notion.

“There’s been some speculation in the media recently on the topic that you’re raising,” Slumbers said at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne. “I would say that it is completely off the mark. I would like to make it very clear that exemptions for the Open, we do not discuss them with anyone and nor would we at any point in time. I think it’s very important that you don’t lose sight of the fact that the Open is intended to be open to everybody, that you earn your place in the field, through exemptions, and that won’t change.”

The Open differs from the Masters in that it actively runs qualifying events, both at PGA Tour and DP World Tour events around the world via its Open Qualifying Series, as well as 36-hole final qualifying tournaments. The Masters is an invitational with criteria and special exemptions for entrants.

Ridley said the criteria for invitations to the 2024 Masters, which will use the OWGR’s top 50 by certain dates, are not likely to be tweaked other than three changes revealed at Augusta National in April this year. They are: an official invitation to the NCAA Division I champion; players who qualified for the PGA Tour’s 2023 season-ending Tour Championship; and winners of full-point PGA Tour events this autumn.

However, Ridley did leave the door open for future revisions.

“If you look back over the history of the Masters tournament, and the qualifications that existed, we have changed those qualifications in numerous times, dozens of times,” Ridley said. “We look at those every year. We don’t make changes every year, but we do look at them under the current circumstances. As you’ll recall last year, there was some speculation as to whether or not we would invite LIV golfers. We stayed true to our qualification criteria. We invited everyone who was eligible.

“While we do not, at this time, anticipate making a change in 2024, we do always look at [criteria], and we will continue to do that. Our qualifications are very much dynamic, and we adjust to what we feel is in the best interest of a tournament representing the best players in the world. We’ll always look at that.”

Without access to OWGR points, LIV players’ rankings have suffered. Cameron Smith left the PGA Tour ranked World No. 2 and is now 19th. Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson dropped from 13th to 131st, and DeChambeau has gone from 29th to 140th. However, the trio are recent major winners and remain eligible for the majors.

Others aren’t so fortunate. Talor Gooch, who has dropped from 35th to 214th in the OWGR, was eligible for the PGA Tour’s finale last year, but was banned for having left for LIV. This year, the Oklahoma native has won three LIV Golf tournaments and claimed the $18 million season-long individual points title.

Asked if they felt it was unfortunate that LIV players such as Gooch will continue to fall down the rankings and lose pathways to the majors, Ridley and Slumbers reiterated the best interests of their tournaments would be the focus.

“They [LIV golfers] made decisions based on what they thought was in the best interests of their golf careers,” Ridley said. “Our invitation criteria does say that we reserve the right to issue special exemptions to international players, [and] we did issue a special exemption to an [American] amateur and NCAA champion last year [Gordon Sargent]. So, we’re always looking at that. But these decisions have been made and will have to do with what’s in the best interest of the Masters.”

Added Slumbers: “From my perspective, without getting into detail, we make sure there are plenty of opportunities for any player in the world, who has [played] good enough, to have a chance to qualify and play in the Open Championship, irrespective of which tour they are participating on and that will not change.”

Main image: Ross Kinnaird

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The Open Championship 2023: R&A CEO says he’s open to PIF investment

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 06:10:56 +0000

Against a changing golf and socio-economic landscape, the head of the R&A said he would not rule out the governing body getting into business with Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to the media at Royal Liverpool ahead of the 151st Open Championship, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers acknowledged he would be open to working with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — the financial backer of LIV Golf — should the opportunity present itself.

“If I’m very open, we are and do and continue to do, talk to various potential sponsors,” Slumbers said. “We have a number of large corporate partners that help us make this thing happen. I think the world has changed in the last year. It’s not just golf. You’re seeing it in football. You’re seeing it in F1. You’re seeing it in cricket. I’m sure tennis won’t be that far behind. The world of sport has changed dramatically in the last 12 months, and it is not feasible for the R&A or golf to just ignore what is a societal change on a global basis. We will be considering within all the parameters that we look at all the options that we have.

It is a swift departure from Slumbers’ comments this time last year at St Andrews, when he took Golf Saudi and LIV Golf to task.

“Professional golfers are entitled to choose where they want to play and to accept the prize money that’s offered to them. I have absolutely no problem with that at all,” Slumbers said in 2022. “But there is no such thing as a free lunch. I believe the model we have seen at Centurion and at Pumpkin Ridge is not in the best long-term interest of the sport as a whole and is entirely driven by money. We believe it undermines the merit-based nature and the spirit of open competition that makes golf so special.”

Slumbers later added at last year’s Open that he did not find claims from Golf Saudi and LIV Golf members that they were “growing the game” credible and instead were actually harming “the perspective of our sport that we are working so hard to improve.”

However, this week’s Open comes in the aftermath of last month’s surprise framework agreement between the PIF, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, which has ended litigation between the factions and could possibly create a new for-profit entity among the leagues. Slumbers noted that it was “very unfortunate” that the game was in the situation of the past two years, referencing how last year’s Open, in his opinion, was almost secondary in importance to the LIV launch.

“I think where we were last year in this room was extremely tense, and it’s disappointing that for our game, the first championship to get to 150th, two thirds of this meeting were focused on the topic which had nothing to do with the 150th,” Slumbers said. “The disruption being caused by the game is not good for the sport. It’s tearing the sport apart. And as importantly, I care about what the perception of this game is around the world. I don’t want it to be perceived as a game that isn’t available to everyone, that isn’t available to boys, girls, men, and women.”

Conversely, Slumbers also said there’s a “sensible conversation” to be had regarding the long-term financial stability of the game, and why he is hopeful the proposed deal ultimately brings peace to the game.

“This constant discussion about money, which I referred to again last year, was in my opinion damaging the perception of our sport worldwide in the eyes of a number of young people who are saying, why do I want to join that, in the eyes of a number of politicians who help us put on these fantastic championships,” Slumbers said. “We need to move beyond that, and that’s why we welcomed the announcement.”

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Open Championship 2023: R&A increases prize money payout to record $16.5 million

Clarkwin — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 10:35:22 +0000

Jan Kruger/R&A

In addition to having his name etched on the claret jug and attaining the coolest title in the game, “champion golfer of the year,” the winner of next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool will receive a check for a record $3 million from a total purse of $16.5 million. Both figures, announced by the R&A on Wednesday a week ahead of the major, represent 18 per cent increases from last year when the champion at St. Andrews, Cameron Smith, earned $2.5 million from a prize fund of $14 million.

“Our aim is to ensure the Open remains at the pinnacle of world golf and we have almost doubled the prize fund since 2016,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in a statement. “While we are seeing substantial increases in prize money across the men’s professional game, we are fulfilling our wider obligation to the sport by elevating the AIG Women’s Open, strengthening pathways in the elite amateur game and encouraging more people around the world to play golf. We believe that getting this balance right is vital to the long-term future of the sport.”

Lower down next week’s leaderboard, those coming up short of first place won’t be doing too badly. Both second ($1.708 million) and third place ($1.095 million) will be paid seven-figure sums. The man in 31st place will see his bank balance boosted by $104,500. Those qualifying for the weekend by finishing inside the top 70 and ties after 36 holes will earn in excess of $35,000.

Even those who miss the cut aren’t forgotten. The leading 10 professional golfers and ties will be paid $12,000; next 20 and ties $10,000; and the remainder of professional golfers and ties $8,500.

All of which is in stark contrast to the early days of golf’s oldest major. The first three Opens (1860-1862) offered zero prize money. In 1863, the £10 pot was shared amongst the eight professionals in the 14-man field. By 1893 the total purse had leapt to £100. Steady rises saw the first £1,000 Open take place in 1946, a figure that increased ten-fold over the next 20 years. When Peter Thomson won his fifth Open at Royal Birkdale in 1965 he was paid £1,750, more than twice what he earned for his first victory in 1954.

By 1977 the total purse was £100,000. Then by 1993 it was £1,000,000, the year champion Greg Norman won £100,000. In 2011, the prize fund had risen to £5 million, a number that reached $10.25 million by 2017, when the R&A had changed its prize payment to American dollars. Only three years later, Collin Morikawa became the first Open champion to be paid $2 million when he won at Royal St. George’s.

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The R&A announces prize fund for the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool

Clarkwin — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:04:40 +0000

Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

The winner of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool will receive USD3 million in prize money.

The Champion Golfer of the Year will receive the highest amount in The Open’s history as it returns to the renowned Hoylake links for the 13th time.

The R&A announced that the total prize fund for The Open played from 16-23 July 2023, will be USD16.5 million, an 18% increase on 2022.

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said, “Our aim is to ensure The Open remains at the pinnacle of world golf and we have almost doubled the prize fund since 2016. While we are seeing substantial increases in prize money across the men’s professional game, we are fulfilling our wider obligation to the sport by elevating the AIG Women’s Open, strengthening pathways in the elite amateur game and encouraging more people around the world to play golf. We believe that getting this balance right is vital to the long-term future of the sport.”

Prize money
1: $3,000,000
2: $1,708,000
3: $1,095,000
4: $851,000
5: $684,500
6: $593,000
7: $509,500
8: $429,700
9: $377,000
10: $340,500
11: $310,000
12: $274,700
13: $258,300
14: $241,800
15: $224,800
16: $206,600
17: $196,600
18: $187,500
19: $179,600
20: $171,100
21: $163,100
22: $155,000
23: $146,700
24: $138,500
25: $133,800
26: $128,000
27: $123,300
28: $119,100
29: $113,900
30: $108,000
31: $104,500
32: $99,200
33: $95,700
34: $93,000
35: $89,800
36: $86,200
37: $82,200
38: $78,000
39: $75,200
40: $72,800
41: $69,800
42: $66,400
43: $63,400
44: $59,800
45: $56,400
46: $53,400
47: $51,300
48: $49,300
49: $47,000
50: $45,900
51: $44,900
52: $44,100
53: $43,400
54: $42,800
55: $42,100
56: $41,500
57: $41,100
58: $40,800
59: $40,500
60: $40,200
61: $40,000
62: $39,800
63: $39,600
64: $39,400
65: $39,200
66: $38,900
67: $38,600
68: $38,300
69: $38,000
70: $37,800

Prize Money shall be allocated only to professional golfers.

If more than 70 professional golfers qualify for the final two rounds, additional prize money will be added. Prize money will decrease by USD125 per qualifying place above 70 to a minimum of USD36,550.

Non-qualifiers after two rounds: Leading 10 professional golfers and ties USD12,000; next 20 professional golfers and ties USD10,000; remainder of professional golfers and ties USD8,500.

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Golf governing bodies to announce plan to roll back golf ball for elite competition

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 05:29:05 +0000

Ben Jared

The USGA and R&A will be proposing a new golf ball testing standard for elite competition that would roll back performance by 20 yards or more. But that proposal still must navigate a Notice and Comment period which lasts through mid-August.

The proposal will be explained in a media conference later today, led by Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, and Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A. Equipment manufacturers were notified on Monday afternoon.

According to sources, the proposal is to institute what’s known as a “model local rule”, which is basically a guideline existing for any level of tournament that might wish to adopt its provisions. In this case, the model local rule would be reserved for elite competitions. It is not clear what level elite competition might take, but it is safe to assume that high-level men’s professional golf is the primary target. In short, this would be a form of bifurcating the equipment rules where elite players would use equipment tested at different standards compared to how equipment used by all other golfers is deemed conforming. The sources detailed that the model local rule would apply to the way the golf ball used in these competitions is tested for conformance.

The primary proposed change would revise how golf balls are tested for conformance. The swing speed for the robot would increase from 120 miles per hour to 127 miles per hour. That likely would make all current golf balls used in elite competition non-conforming. Given that at elite speeds, every mile per hour increase in clubhead speed equates to approximately 2.5-3 yards in total distance, increasing the test speed by 7 miles per hour could result in a distance loss of about 20 yards or more.

The proposed MLR would be scheduled to take effect in January 2026. This proposal is the result of the ruling bodies’ position on driving distance outlined in its conclusions from the Distance Insight research project. Previously, “the objectives were to identify mechanisms to address the persistent increases in hitting distance over time that have fueled the pace at which golf courses are lengthening, as well as to enhance the reward of a central impact”.

Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy are two of the longest drivers of the golf ball in the elite game. Tom Pennington

The proposal is a slight shift from the “areas of interest” that the ruling bodies announced last spring. In that document, the ideas that were floated included a similar change in the ball test that would apply to all golfers, not just elite players.

Also in that document were proposed ideas to roll back the springiness of driver faces and make them less forgiving. But those latter proposals were only going to be model local rules for elite competitions. The announcement only focuses on the ball and only for elite events, and suggests no specific changes for club performance rules.

One possible outcome of a model local rule providing for a shorter golf ball: Events held at certain historic venues — Augusta National, the Old Course — could employ such a ball for their events. That said, it would be odd for the ruling bodies to propose a model local rule designed to deal with what they see as the distance problem and not employ that rule unilaterally in all their events. A USGA spokeswoman declined to comment on any specifics.

Several manufacturers contacted by Golf Digest declined to comment on the proposal, but it is clear that many have been opposed to a distance rollback in comments previously filed with the ruling bodies. According to comments filed with the USGA by Acushnet, parent company of Titleist, during last year’s comment period and subsequently made public: “The game’s growth and global appeal are linked to unification. Bifurcation of the rules breaks that link.”

A spokesman for the PGA Tour declined to comment “until things are made public”. The difficulty for the tour in supporting any rollback is the vast majority of players on the PGA Tour receive some compensation from golf ball manufacturers. No ball manufacturer has announced overt support for a ball rollback of any kind up to now.

There’s also the question of whether distance continues to be a selling point for elite golf. PGA Tour players certainly achieve notoriety for the distance they are able to hit the ball. Last year, on the PGA Tour average driving distance reached nearly 300 yards for the first time (299.8). Since 2011, driving distance has increased 8.9 yards, or an average of 0.8 yards per year, considerably less than the average of 2.6 yards per year from 1994-2003. In 2002, the ruling bodies announced in a Joint Statement of Principles a desire to more closely monitor elite driving distance.

So far in the 2022-23 season, driving distance is down 2.6 yards. Average swing speed on tour has increased a little over two miles per hour since 2011 to 114.72 miles per hour. Or 12 miles per hour slower than the proposed test speed detailed in Monday’s notice.

The test swing speed for the Overall Distance Standard was changed in 2004 from 109 miles per hour to the current 120 miles per hour, but at the same time, the maximum distance for a conforming ball was raised to 320 yards. Under this new proposal, the speed increase would not include an increase in the maximum distance.

To put the proposed change in perspective, currently there are no players on the PGA Tour with an average swing speed of 127 miles per hour. However, approximately 20 players have posted a high swing speed of more than 127 miles per hour.

The notice sent by the ruling bodies to manufacturers on Monday indicates that the shift to only a model local rule on the golf ball reflects the comments the ruling bodies received last year. “The USGA and The R&A were not considering changes that would result in substantial reductions in hitting distances at all levels of the game,” the notice states. “The proposed MLR would enable golf event organisers and committees to use specific balls for certain elite championships and tournaments but would not impact the current recreational game in any way.”

For now, the proposal announcement does not make clear how far the phrase “elite competitions” applies. It may be for elite men’s professional events, but even then, what might that mean for elite college and amateur events? What might it mean for elite events that have qualifying tournaments? And what would that mean for events such as the US Open that have a handicap qualification for entry, given that said handicap would likely be achieved through using a ball that would be nonconforming in the US Open, under the proposed model local rule? Any such change to the golf ball used at an elite event is subject to a new set of complications that competitive golf hasn’t confronted before.

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R&A increases AIG Women’s Open purse to a record $7.3 million

Matt Smith — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 06:43:05 +0000

By John Huggan
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has announced a record prize money payout for the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield.

The clue being in the title, the world of professional golf has always been about the money. Last month, Cameron Smith’s victory in the Open Championship at St Andrews was worth $2.5 million to the Australian, from a total prize money payout of $14 million. This week’s AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield isn’t quite on that financial level, but things are definitely looking up for the game’s best women players.

On Sunday evening the winner of the year’s final major championship will be paid $1,095,000, which is $225,000 more than Anna Nordqvist earned for winning at Carnoustie 12 months ago. In all, $7.3 million in prize money (up from $5.8 million, or 26 per cent) will be distributed among those players who play well enough to make the 36-hole cut, meaning all five women’s majors lifted their pay days to record levels in 2022.

The boost in the overall purse at Muirfield is even more striking when zooming out to the last four years. The total prize money handed out in 2018 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes was $3.25 million, a year before the R&A partnered with AIG as a sponsor for the championship. In that time, then, the purse has increased 125 per cent.

Those numbers were the centrepiece of a press conference given by R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers on the eve of what he called “a world-class championship”.

“This is our opportunity to shine a light on the immense talent of the athletes that are competing here this week, as well as inspire the next generation of players,” Slumbers said. “I’m hugely excited by what this week has to offer. We have to use this week to highlight the need for a broader engagement in women’s golf.”

Part of that mission, to the dismay of traditionalists, is the presence of not one but two pro-ams in the days leading up to the championship. Again, the answer to any and all questions is “money”, a fact Slumbers was quick to acknowledge.

“Pro-ams are part of the commercial model of women’s professional golf,” he said. “I’ve not been shy in saying over the years that professional golf is a business and the pro-am is a key part of that in the women’s game. But it’s also a fantastic opportunity to invite people to see not only what we are doing together, what Muirfield is doing as a golf course, but for them to be able to say, ‘do you know what, there’s some really special stuff going on.’ So there’s commercial reality, and there’s marketing.”

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers plays with Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open. R&A

Slumbers’ often bold and sometimes inspiring words are especially significant because of where they were being spoken. Still in the early days of their foray into mixed membership, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers are well aware that the eyes of golfers everywhere are upon them. But were they forced to accept a Women’s Open before being reintroduced to the Open Championship rota for what would be the first time since 2013?

“Absolutely not,” Slumbers said. “Absolutely not. They are two very independent decisions. But let me just explain why we brought the championship here, because I think that’s really important that people understand. We are absolutely focused on how do we get the best venues that we can get that mean the most to golf, and stage the championship there. And when you look at the history of our game, there is no more important course [than Muirfield], other than perhaps the Old Course, if you want to achieve that purpose. You only have to walk around and listen to some of the players and their views. This is something special.”

As for the contrast between the fear that the male players might destroy the Old Course last month and the contention expressed more than once this week that level par might be good enough to win, Slumbers was again dismissive. One day earlier he had played in the first pro-am of the week alongside Atthaya Thitikul, an LPGA rookie from Thailand who is sixth in the Rolex World Ranking. Thitikul, who insists that she “hates” links golf, played Muirfield’s front-nine in 30, even after missing a short putt on the eighth green.

“This is a tough golf course at the best of times and there is a big difference playing for fun in a pro-am and putting a card in your hand,” Slumbers said. “We are playing at just shy of 6,700 yards. We have three of the par 5s not far off the championship tees. The greens are running about the same as they were at St Andrews [last month]. This is going to be a strong test. We are forecast more wind, which will make some of the closing holes, 12 through 15, really challenging. I do think the players will find a way to score, but you need to play really well to shoot low around here.”

Indeed. The battle will commence Thursday when 2009 champion (and local resident) Catriona Matthew hits the opening tee shot at 6.30am local time.

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Open Championship 2022: Would the R&A be upset if somebody shot a 59 on the Old Course? Not exactly

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 09:23:13 +0000

R&A

By Ryan Herrington
History is often made at the Old Course, but the kind of history that’s being talked about potentially occurring here this week at the 150th Open Championship can be viewed in different ways. Would a player shooting a 59 at the Home of Golf be an regarded as an accomplishment or an embarrassment by the R&A?

There is a sense that scores will be low as the oldest men’s major returns to the Home of Golf, an extremely firm and fast golf course playing far shorter than the 7,300 yards listed on the scorecards. And if the relatively calm winds that are forecasted come true, the perception is that the major championship record score of 62 — set by Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in 2017 — could be broken if not shattered.

No doubt R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has heard the rumblings himself. But when posed the question during his Wednesday media conference — one of the few that didn’t deal with the dicey subject of LIV Golf — his answer might have come across as a bit surprising.

“Let me make a comment about 59 because I’ll put that back to you,” Slumbers began. “A 59 is 13-under par around this golf course. There’s 7,300 yards. It’s got greens that are running at 10.5 to 11 [on the Stimpmeter]. It’s got fairways where the ball is bouncing 50 yards if it’s hit and more if it catches the downslope … 13-under par around that, I’ll tell you what, if someone shoots that, I will be the first person on the 18th green to shake their hand because they have played outstanding golf.”

It’s easy to say that on Wednesday, when it’s only a hypothetical. But there are as many as par 4s on the course that given the conditions will be drivable for several players in the field. During a practice round, the DP World Tour captured this video of Richard Mansel nearly holing his drive on the par-4 18th.

.@richardmansel14 almost made an ace on the 18th hole yesterday during practice. ?#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/sOUtsEqBEM

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 13, 2022

All due respect to Mansel, but he’s ranked 297th in the world. There are other golfers in the field this week seeing this video and salivating. If the sun shines, and the breezes stay calm, the Old Course will indeed be under a #59Watch. And Slumbers will have to be positioned near the 18th green in case he owes a man a handshake.

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Open Championship 2022: R&A chief will not ban LIV Golf players but will consider future qualification and exemptions criteria

Matt Smith — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:21:46 +0000

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of the R&A, speaks during a press conference on Wednesday at St. Andrews. Oisin Keniry/R&A

By Matt Smith

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers chose to address the ongoing LIV Golf saga during his pre-tournament media conference ahead of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews on Wednesday.

Slumbers stressed the freedom of golfers wishing to play where they wish, but warned there is “no such thing as a free lunch”. He made it clear there would be no banning of LIV Golf players in the future from the Open, but that the R&A would consider changes with its qualifying.

“Looking ahead to The Open next year, we have been asked quite frequently about banning players. Let me be very clear that’s not on our agenda,” Slumbers said. “But what is on our agenda is that we will review our exemptions and qualifications criteria for The Open. And whilst we do that every year, we absolutely reserve the right to make changes as our Open Championships Committee deems appropriate. Players have to earn their place in The Open, and that is fundamental to its ethos and its unique global appeal.”

The PGA Tour has indefinitely suspended players who have competed in LIV Golf events. The DP World Tour suspended a handful of players who played as well for three tournaments and fined them £100,000 — a suspension that has had a stay after players such as Ian Poulter appealed in the courts and were therefore clear to play in last week’s Scottish Open.

“Professional golfers are entitled to choose where they want to play and to accept the prize money that’s offered to them,” continued Slumbers on Wednesday. “I have absolutely no problem with that at all.

“But there is no such thing as a free lunch. I believe the model we have seen at Centurion and at Pumpkin Ridge (the first two LIV Golf events) is not in the best long-term interest of the sport as a whole and is entirely driven by money. We believe it undermines the merit-based nature and the spirit of open competition that makes golf so special.”

A total of 23 players who have competed a LIV Golf’s two initial events or have announced they’re planning to join in the future are playing at St Andrews this week. Earlier in the month, the R&A released a statement saying it would be unfair to have restricted any LIV players from competing in the championship. The R&A did, however, asked LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, a two-time Open champion, not to attend ceremonial events that several past winners have participated in out of concern he would be a distraction.

Slumbers is a member of the board for the Official World Golf Ranking. On Tuesday, that body met and began the discussion about LIV Golf events being able to receive World Ranking points in the future. OWGR chairman Peter Dawson (former R&A CEO) released a statement saying that LIV Golf’s formal application was received on July 6 and is under review.

The World Rankings are used by not only the R&A at the Open Championship, but Augusta National, the PGA of America and the USGA to help fill the fields for the Masters, PGA Championship and US Open respectively.

When asked about the potential of a LIV Golf player winning the Open, Slumbers replied: “Whoever wins on Sunday is going to have their name carved in history. And I’ll welcome them onto the 18th green. This is a golf tournament. The Open is about having the best players in the world playing, and I want to see who shoots the lowest score come Sunday night.”

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