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Bryson and Rory among those to weigh in after Mickelson slammed USGA for potential driver-shaft rollback

Published

3 years ago

on

Before his second round of play at last week’s BMW Championship, six-time major champion Phil Mickelson took to social media to communicate his displeasure with the USGA’s potential attempts at a rollback in driver length.

Mickelson’s frustration at this suggested change certainly makes sense, as the 51 year-old currently uses a 47 and a half inch length driver, and did so during his PGA Championship victory this year as well. With that being said, the majority of Tour pros do use driver shafts of 46 inches or shorter.

Golf Channel reached out to the USGA for a statement, to which they responded, “We’re holding off on [an] official statement for now, but will refer anyone who asks to see USGA.org/distanceinisghts if they have any questions about research or our process.”

Despite no official comment from the USGA on the matter, other Tour pros did not hesitate to weigh in on the controversial topic.

We asked our instagram followers whether they agreed or disagreed with Mickelson’s sentiment, and the post received numerous responses from fellow PGA Tour pros. Bryson DeChambeau commented, “I agree,” and Graeme McDowell also sarcastically weighed in, “Max length of a putter like 36 inches while they are in the mood???”

John Daly also took to social media to express his opinion, tweeting, “I totally agree with you brother but why don’t they just change the cheapest thing made in golf……the #golfball #bringthegolfballback NO common sense!”

Also in competition at last week’s BMW Championship, Rory McIlroy discussed the very same issue during his Friday post-round press conference, stating,

“I don’t think driver length is the right way to tackle what the governing bodies want to do. I mean, I would be in agreement with Phil. A lot of amateurs just pick a driver off the rack and it’s going to be 45 and a half inches, no one’s even thinking of going to that so, yeah I’d be very surprised to hear the average golfer play anything longer than 45 and a half. I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference.”

While the vocal majority of Mickelson’s fellow Tour pros are supportive of the 45-time PGA Tour winner stance, it remains to be seen how much the USGA puts into the credence of its game’s biggest stars.

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19th Hole

Phil Mickelson reveals he won’t be pursuing broadcasting career when he retires from golf

Published

8 hours ago

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May 8, 2024

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On Tuesday, Chris McKee, a Toronto writer and radio host, wondered aloud on his X account if Phil Mickelson will be a commentator after his playing days are over.

“The second Phil Mickelson retires he’ll instantly become the most sought after TV analyst in golf. Would any PGA Tour broadcaster (CBS, ESPN, NBC or Sky) bring him in or would he have to stick to LIV broadcasts? #LIVGolf”

Mickelson saw the post and responded, saying he’s not interested in moving from the course to the broadcast booth.

“Thank you for the kind words. However, just cuz someone CAN do something doesn’t mean they SHOULD do it. Instead of commentating, I’m going to shoot some Pros vs Schmos 9 hole matches. I’ll share insights throughout as well as talk a little smack. It won’t be the highest quality video but it’ll be fun for me to do and fun to watch I think too.”

While I believe many fans would like to see Phil in the booth, his idea of “Pro’s vs Schmo’s” could certainly be intriguing.

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19th Hole

PGA Tour pro sounds off on ‘unfair’ PGA Championship invites

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8 hours ago

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May 8, 2024

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This week, the PGA of America made some surprising announcements regarding the field of next week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The event now will feature 16 LIV players with Talor Gooch, Dean Burmester, David Puig, Adrian Meronk and Patrick Reed receiving special exemptions.

PGA Tour player, Dylan Wu, took issue with how the exemptions were used and went to X to share his thoughts.

“Why is there never “real” qualifications for the PGA Championship? You have a points list and World ranking invite. Usually just outside top 100 in OWGR gets in. Chan Kim ranked 104th in OWGR doesn’t get in. SH Kim at 107th isn’t in.”

“Jesper Svennson ranked 108th gets in. Tim Widing 120th gets in. Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald gets a spot. A bunch of guys get leapfrogged even though they’re ranked higher than others. Seems like they just invite whoever they want. Unfair to the guys on the edge like Chan and SH”

“Just seems like the world of professional golf is in a weird spot and I love that the tournament invited a handful of great LIV players but figure out a correct system for a major championship where guys know they’ll be in or not. ????”

Fans who replied to Wu seemed to agree that a more definitive ranking system for the PGA Championship should be established.

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19th Hole

Report: LIV star turns down PGA Championship invite due to ‘personal commitments’

Published

1 day ago

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May 7, 2024

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On Tuesday, the full field for the PGA Championship at Valhalla was released. In some surprising news, a handful of LIV players were granted exemptions including Dean Burmester, Patrick Reed, Lucas Herbert and Adrian Meronk.

The most surprising omission was Louis Oosthuizen. The South African has been one of the most consistent players on LIV this season, and also won two DP World Tour events in the fall.

According to the AP’s Doug Ferguson, Oosthuizen was actually given an invitation, but declined due to “personal commitments”.

In total, there will be 16 LIV golfers teeing it up next week at Valhalla.

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