Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau Slam USGA's Rolled-Back Ball Proposal

Professional golfers are largely unhappy with the USGA and the R&A’s plan to roll back the golf ball.

As the golf community continues to process the USGA and the R&A’s proposal to roll back the ball for elite golfers, it seems as though those top-level players—most notably Justin Thomas and LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau—are not very pleased. 

Speaking from a Valspar Championship press conference, Thomas did not mince words when sharing his opinion on the USGA and the R&A’s decision.

“My reaction was disappointed and also not surprised, to be honest. I think the USGA over the years has—in my eyes, it's harsh, but made some pretty selfish decisions,” Thomas 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.”

The USGA and the R&A’s plan proposes the use of a golf ball that would be tested under modified launch conditions. Effectively, the new ball reduces the distances of the longest golfers with the fastest clubhead speeds by an average of 14 to 15 yards. 

The game’s governing bodies see this decision as an effort to protect the sport for the future and prevent classic golf courses from becoming obsolete in the professional game, the Old Course at St. Andrews being one prominent example. 

The adoption of such a policy would “bifurcate” the sport: Professionals and amateurs would play by two different sets of rules. According to Thomas, that proposition would only hurt the game of golf. 

Listen to JT’s three-minute thoughts on the new golf ball rollback plans. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/DEzgfHRens

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) March 15, 2023

“They want it to be, O.K., well, the pros play this way and the amateurs play this way, and that just doesn’t—I don’t understand how that’s better for the game of golf,” he said. “The amount of time, money that these manufacturers have spent trying to create the best product possible and now you’re going to tell them and us that we have to start over for potentially if the PGA Tour, PGA of America, don’t adopt this local rule. So for two of the four biggest events of the year we’re going to have to use a different ball? Like, try to explain to me how that’s better for the game of golf.

“And they're basing it off the top .1 percent of all golfers. You know what I mean? I don't know how many of y'all consistently play golf in here, but I promise none of you have come in from the golf course and said, you know, I'm hitting it so far and straight today that golf's just not even fun anymore. Like, no, that's not—it's just not reality.

“So I know I went on a rant a little bit, but it irritates me because it’s consistent with, I feel like, decisions and things that the USGA has done in the past when it comes to rules or whatnot and data,” Thomas continued. “I mean, what is it, using 127 mph clubhead speed? Like, if you can swing 127 miles an hour, like, power to you. I mean, 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?” 

If the PGA Tour does decide to adopt the ball rollback, changes will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. 

Thomas hasn’t been the only pro to speak out against the USGA and the R&A’s announcement. Despite being a LIV Golf member, DeChambeau, who is known for his distance gains and unfathomably high clubhead speeds, called the proposals “atrocious.”

“It’s a great handicap for us guys that have worked really hard to learn how to hit it farther. Look, if they do it in a way where it only affects the top end, I see the rationale. But I think it’s the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf. It’s not about rolling golf balls back; it’s about making golf courses more difficult,” DeChambeau said in an interview with LIV Golf’s Mike McAllister.

“I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do. Everybody wants to see people hit it farther. That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do.”

Sam Burns—the winner of the 2022 Valspar Championship—also shared his position on the rollback at a pre-tournament press conference. 

“Personally, I think it's pretty silly,” Burns said. “I would say if you look at the last few years of golf, I think the game has grown tremendously. At the end of the day no matter what it is we're an entertainment sport and I think, I don't think people necessarily want to come out here and watch guys hit it shorter. They enjoy watching guys go out there and hit it 350 yards. I don't see what the problem is with that. I think that's a skill and I don't really agree with trying to take that away.”

On Golf Channel on Tuesday, seven-time PGA Tour winner Webb Simpson also offered up his reaction to the news, pointing to potential solutions in other areas, such as golf course design. 

“I don’t know that we need to roll back equipment. I think there needs to be more emphasis on golf course design,” Simpson said. “We want to see tighter fairways. We want to see more rough. We want to see more trees, doglegs, stuff like that. That seems to be pretty popular with the guys that I’ve talked to. That’s not going to fix the distance problem. I want to be clear there, but it needs to be in the conversation. I feel like there’s certain golf courses we play where there’s genius that needs to be paid attention to that will help this problem that we’re seeing. And I just think that needs to be a main piece of the pie for this whole distance thing.”

Not all pros were completely critical of the news, however. Brandon Matthews, one of the PGA Tour's longest up-and-coming drivers of the golf ball, saw some positives to the potential rollback. 

“I’m really looking forward to seeing shot shapes again like you used to see, right? Like a shot—for example, like a rising ball flight. You don’t see that anymore because of the ball technology,” Matthews said to Golf Channel’s Kira Dixon. “So, you’re going to see a little more of that come back, which is really cool. But I don’t know how far they’re going to go with this, but it’s going to be a really exciting change and I think it’s going to make the game a little bit better.