Charley Hoffman Addresses Instagram Rant That Criticized USGA, PGA Tour

Hoffman was critical of the organizations on Friday after a rules issue led to a penalty.

Charley Hoffman said Saturday that his Instagram rant that criticized the USGA and PGA Tour was meant to draw attention to the issues with the hope of making things better in the future.

Hoffman was critical of the USGA on Friday after a rules issue that led to a stroke penalty.

A member of the PGA Tour policy board, Hoffman said similar issues had players frustrated and potentially exploring rival leagues, including the one fronted by Greg Norman and backed by the Saudi Arabia wealth fund known as the PIF.

“If I just griped about a rule no one probably catches it. No one says anything,” Hoffman told reporters after shooting 79 Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open.

He said he put a “decent amount” of thought into the post. “So I put a jab in there on purpose just so that the media would catch it.”

In the second round, Hoffman hit his tee shot in the water at the 13th hole. In the area where he was required to take a drop, he watched his ball roll twice, which allowed him to place the ball. Even after doing that, the ball rolled into the water, leading to a penalty and a double bogey on the hole.

“Oh, it was definitely in the heat of the moment, I mean there's no question there,” he said. “But as I told the rules official when I was done with the ruling that they said, 'Oh we're working on this.' Well, I said, 'This should have been taken x amount of time years ago when it happened to Rickie (Fowler) at this tournament.'

“That's not taking care of it, that's too long in between. I mean the reality is livelihood. I mean, one shot is, no matter what happens, is going to affect me point-wise, something, somewhere down the line. I don't know what it's going to be. It's going to affect me on a bogus rule that hopefully changes for the better in the long run and hopefully we learn from it.”

In the original post, Hoffman referenced PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan by preventively saying he was sorry. Hoffman said he knew it would cause problems for the commissioner, but Hoffman simply felt no change would occur otherwise.

Hoffman also said he spoke to someone from the USGA.  

“I was under the impression that the rule had changed," he said. "And I was frustrated when the rule hadn't changed, why it hadn't changed and I think there's some sort of ... I mean obviously we have a PGA Tour liaison that helps with the USGA and helps in figuring out what the rules should and shouldn't be.

“It didn't make any sense at that point in time why that rule hadn't changed, especially this exact tournament when it happened to Rickie Fowler, he ended up winning the golf tournament, but it could have cost him the golf tournament (in 2019).

“I wanted to get my point across that there's rules out there in the game of golf that should be changed. I wasn't near the golf ball, I had no intent to hit at the golf ball and the ball moved after I dropped it twice and I have to put it down where the ball landed. I have no control over that, I turn my back and the ball goes in the water.

“How is that a rule that is good for the game of golf and how we play? I mean, not one person at a country club would have taken another penalty for that, why is it, in professional golf, are we doing that? It's not the first time it's happened.”

Hoffman shot an 8-over 79 on Saturday, his worst round of the week. He's in 67th place entering Sunday, last among players who made the weekend cut.