Golf ball rollback is “stupid,” Keegan Bradley sounds off on USGA, R&A’s controversial decision

Rumors have been swirling for days now that the USGA and the R&A, two of the main governing bodies of golf, are about to announce a rollback of the golf ball. But this decision is not only going to affect professional golfers, but amateurs and everyday players like yourself.

Seventy percent of amateur golfers drive the ball less than 250 yards. Well, those drives are about to lose another 10 to 15 yards, if the rumors are true.

This decision has prompted different reactions from professionals. But Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship victor, let his thoughts be known and didn’t pull any punches.

“For the amateur world to hit the ball shorter is monstrous,” Bradley said Saturday, per The Telegraph.. “I can’t think of anything more stupid than that. I don’t think it’s very smart at all, especially when golf’s growing in popularity coming out of Covid.”

Bradley certainly makes a very good point. The sport’s popularity, particularly among the younger generation, has been skyrocketing. Golf was the perfect sport people could still enjoy during COVID while adhering to social distancing protocols.

But not all pro golfers feel the same.

Rory McIlroy recently voiced his opinion, and it was in stark contrast to Bradley’s.

“I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball rollback. It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability,” McIlroy posted to X, formerly Twitter. “It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past 2 decades.”

He is certainly right that rolling the golf ball back should help pros hone their skills. PGA Tour tournaments won’t put nearly the premium on driving the ball 50 yards farther than your competitor.

But this is why Tiger Woods was such a proponent of bifurcation, separating the golf ball manufacturing for pros compared to amateurs.

“I’ve always been for bifurcation. I’ve always said that — like wood and metal bats,” Woods after his third round at the Hero World Challenge.

There was supposedly a motion put in front of the USGA and R&A for bifurcation earlier in the year but was shot down. Now, it looks like everyday golfers like you and I will suffer off the tee.

Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social media platforms.