This week, a proposal went public that could completely change the game of golf, limiting the kinds of golf balls players can use in elite tournaments in an attempt to limit driving distance. But it’s safe to say that one top player is not a fan of the change.
During an interview ahead of this week’s Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, star golfer Justin Thomas made his thoughts very clear on the proposed changes.
“You’re trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” Thomas said according to ESPN. “To me, it’s just so bad for the game of golf.”
Thomas said that golfers’ ability to drive the ball deeper is a natural progression of the game and compared the plan to use “dead” golf balls to the NBA raising the hoop to 13 feet because players can jump higher now.
“If you can swing 127 mph, power to you,” Thomas said. “People are running faster, so, what, are they just going to make the length of a mile longer so that the fastest mile time doesn’t change, or are they going to put the NBA hoop at 13 feet because people can jump higher now? Like, no. It’s evolution.”
While Thomas was disappointed by these proposed changes, he wasn’t necessarily surprised.
“I think the USGA over the years has — in my eyes, it’s harsh — but made some pretty selfish decisions,” he said. “They definitely, in my mind, have done a lot of things that aren’t for the betterment of the game, although they claim it.”
It’s clear what he thinks. We’ll have to see if the proposed changes ever go into effect.
[ESPN]
