As the intensity of LIV Golf subsides, a new civil war takes center stage
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – It was about this time five years ago that the five families of pro golf, as they are known – the four major governing bodies and the PGA Tour – began to act like the cousins they really are. They agreed on something in near unanimity: that LIV Golf and smart investments from Saudi Arabia were dangerous to the status quo.
“Some money is better than some money,” PGA of America manager Seth Waugh said at Kiawah Island for the 2021 PGA Championship. Wherever PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was watching, he had to nod. And if not, his actions and those of his cousins soon fell into line. It took years for the R&A and USGA to grant specific exemptions for LIV in their tournaments. The World Golf Ranking Board – made up mostly of representatives from these organizations – did not sanction LIV events until earlier this year. Fred Ridley, on behalf of the Masters, said the 2022 action, when LIV was launched with the biggest purses the sport had ever seen, “diminished the beauty of the game.” An anti-trust lawsuit filed by LIV players alleges members of Augusta National threatened to fire LIV pros from the Masters.
Each species protected its own rules and laws, which were entirely their right. But in almost every case, any LIV strength, if only temporary, was a boon to their cousin, the PGA Tour. Those protections softened over time – especially since the Tour decided to accept Saudi money, too – but with the recent news that the Saudi PIF will no longer sponsor LIV in the future, the threat posed to pro golf’s status has quickly dropped down the priority list.
But it didn’t take long to get it back. Forehand reentry: the reverse golf ball rollback.
In simple terms, the USGA and R&A have decided that the distances golfers can hit the ball these days are not acceptable for the sport in the long term. It affects how tournaments are run, how course boundaries are used, how the complexity of the setups struggles against gifted hitters. In 2023, the USGA and the R&A ruled that, under certain test conditions, modern balls, beginning in 2028, should be able to fly a maximum distance of 317 yards.
The problem is that the families have been fighting, if quietly behind the scenes, ever since. And to be honest, there are more families than previously thought.
Rather than five governing bodies, the relegation issue – much smaller than the LIV issue – insists that there are at least six, perhaps seven true families in sports. Professional golfers, although not grouped together, are one. They are the talent of this entertainment product, which often works strongly with groupthink. (And the PGA Tour can’t do it right anything else (without their support.) There are also equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, such as Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist, who are competitors but admit the recall will hurt their business.
OEMs love the situation is now, but a curious story has appeared this week, during this first big in the period of decline of LIV. Cameron Young, one of the best players in the world, has reportedly been using a Titleist ball that will meet the future standards set by the USGA and the R&A. What a beauty of his leading the way! And more than a year before the deadline! Young has been using the ball – the prototype Pro V1x Double Dot – for a long time, too, after testing it for the first time in 2024. He’s one of the tallest players in the world and apparently sees no difference in the distance he takes off the tee, which should prompt a reasonable question:
Why change anything if the most important combat distance change ends up being irrelevant?
There are several valid reasons. The way Young swings the golf ball may have less impact on these changes than, say, how Scottie Scheffler swings the ball. Minors may be an anomaly (a handful of other Tour players use the ball, too). It is possible that the USGA’s suggested testing standards are not yet complete. It is also interesting that this story will come on purpose on Tuesday evening because we could not have a better time, a few hours before the executives of the PGA of America are scheduled to hold a press conference. We know what the USGA and R&A think. The PGA of America, we needed to hear from it.
“We need to understand more,” said the PGA’s new CEO, Terry Clark, on Wednesday. “It is up to those governing bodies to say what kind of impact it has [the game] and what is the next step.”
In other words, as noncommittal as Family 4 can get. Fred Ridley, last month at the Masters, reiterated his support for the USGA and called the modern game “one size fits all.” But Brian Rolapp, two months ago at the Players Championship, behaved in a deceptive manner as if the PGA Tour had not yet made a decision (even though his predecessor strongly disagreed).
“I talked to the players,” Rolapp said at Sawgrass. “I’ve talked, obviously, to the governing bodies; I’ve talked to the golf ball manufacturers; I’ve talked to the fans; I’ve talked to everybody. What’s clear to me is, everybody has an opinion, and those opinions are obviously inconsistent…”
What it should it has suddenly become a matter of clear science a war waged in carefully scripted press conferences. There were two on Wednesday, one from Young and one from Clark, but neither was too revealing. There will be more in June from USGA CEO Mike Whan, who has proven stubborn on the topic. Another couple will follow in July and August from R&A king Mark Darbon, across the pond. Interspersed throughout those months will be Rolapp’s press conference at the Travelers Championship and any number of Q&A sessions for his players, most of whom are anti-recall and accidentally unsponsored.
LIV Golf vs. Status Quo sounds simple in comparison.
