Golf chief defends controversial rule change: "The goal isn't to set us back"

The chief executive of the USGA has revealed he wanted to rollback the golf ball sooner. 

Last December, golf's rule makers at long last revealed how they were to deal with the thorny topic of distance in the game.

The USGA and R&A decided the only path forward was to rollback golf ball technology to reduce the distances they travel. 

Professionals will start using rolled back balls from 2028 and amateurs will follow two years later. 

Rory McIlroy has already backed the proposals, claiming that for the amateur player it will make 'no difference whatsoever'. 

Whan told Golf Digest that his regret is that he wasn't able to implement the cahnge sooner.

"A change that I would've liked to implement in 2026 will now happen in 2028 and 2030," he said.

"A difference that I wish would've been 22 yards for the longest hitter will probably be more like 12 yards. 

"Of course, those 12 yards will be gone in 20 years.

"The goal isn't to set us back, but to slow the pace by which we're obsoleting courses from hosting championships and qualifiers. This is governance in action.

"The USGA had to be the body that does this for the long-term health of the game because we're not tied to sponsors and equipment manufacturers.

"Many of these same stakeholders have said to me in a quiet room, 'I'm glad this is your decision and not ours'."

Whan added: "In the end, we reduced the impact of this change so that the overwhelming majority of amateurs won't know the difference or experience the difference.

"Would I have liked the difference to be larger? I would have, but I wasn't willing to upset the amateur game to do it."

The PGA Tour, and PGA of America, have yet to reveal whether they will roll with the changes.

Whan is adamant, though, that the Tour will eventually come around. 

"I feel confident everyone will play by the rules of the game," he said. 

What did Rory McIlroy say about the rollback?

"I don't understand the anger about the golf ball roll back," McIlroy previously said. 

"The people who are upset about this decision shouldn't be mad at the governing bodies, they should be mad at elite pros and club/ball manufacturers because they didn't want bifurcation.

"Elite pros and ball manufacturers think bifurcation would negatively affect their bottom lines, when, in reality, the game is already bifurcated.

"You think we play the same stuff you do?

"They put pressure on the governing bodies to roll it back to a lesser degree for everyone. Bifurcation was the logical answer for everyone, but, yet again in this game, money talks."

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