PGA Tour players saying 'no' to golf ball rollback

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PGA Tour players saying 'no' to golf ball rollback

PGA Tour players saying 'no' to golf ball rollback

Golfweek spoke with numerous PGA Tour players, who are pushing back against the USGA and R&A's proposed golf ball rollback.

PGA Tour players saying 'no' to golf ball rollback

Golfweek spoke with numerous PGA Tour players, who are pushing back against the USGA and R&A's proposed golf ball rollback.

PGA Tour players are making their voices heard loud and clear: they're not on board with the proposed golf ball rollback.

While Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has yet to officially announce the organization's stance, a Golfweek survey of players at recent events reveals widespread opposition to the USGA and R&A's plan to rein in distance.

"I feel a majority of guys out here are under the same opinion I am that there isn't a problem with the golf ball," said Justin Thomas, a member of the Tour's Player Advisory Council and a Titleist staffer. "So, if that's the case, I don't know why we'd let a group of amateur golfers decide how we play the game."

That sentiment echoes across the locker room. The pushback comes even after Masters chairman Fred Ridley made a passionate case for the rollback during his pre-tournament press conference last month. Ridley, a former U.S. Amateur champion and past USGA president, argued that the modern ball travels too far for the good of the game.

"My feeling on this subject is failure's not an option," Ridley said in April. "I think we need to continue to work together to come to some agreement."

But the players aren't convinced. When the Player Advisory Council met in Hilton Head Island ahead of the RBC Heritage, the rollback dominated the conversation, according to Harris English, another Titleist endorser.

Under the proposed changes, the Overall Distance Standard would remain the same, but the test driver's clubhead speed would increase from 120 mph to 125 mph—a move designed to curb distance at the elite level without altering the amateur game. The original plan called for a staggered rollout: affecting only top-tier golfers in 2028, then expanding to all players by 2030. In January, the governing bodies announced they were seeking feedback on that timeline.

For now, though, the Tour's rank and file are sending a clear message: leave the ball alone.

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