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Paul McGinley believes the attribute of length off the tee has become ‘disproportionate’ compared to other strengths in the game.
The 2014 Ryder Cup-winning captain, himself a shorter hitter, engaged in the debate after an article on Golf Channel.com, which drew the conclusion – having spoken to tour players Luke Donald, Russell Knox and Zach Johnson – that a shorter hitter will never reach world No.1 again.
Donald, of course, reached world No.1 in 2011 and 2012 but reckons it’s unlikely to happen again, while Knox also thinks he’ll never be able to make it to the summit.
“I think I’m really good at golf and I hate to limit myself and say I couldn’t be No. 1 in the world, but the ball and the clubs just go so straight now I feel like everyone has gained from it,” he told Golf Channel.com.
“But the guys who hit it further and the courses are so long now and the greens are firmer and faster, it’s such a massive advantage to be 320 [yards] plus off the tee.”
It prompted this tweet from McGinley, who read the article with interest:
Good insight to the scoring dynamics of the modern ‘power’ game we see most weeks on Tour https://t.co/STPt25ZfZ5
— Paul McGinley (@mcginleygolf) February 8, 2018
He was then asked the following question on the subject, to which he delivered an interesting response:
Do you think this shift has been an overall positive for the game Paul and if not what do you think should/could be done?
— Rod Morri (@Rod_Morri) February 8, 2018
Big hitting is, and should be, an important skill and advantage in golf Rod however it’s relevance has become disproportionate to other skill sets in terms of scoring - it creates a domino affect when odds get lined up too advantageously
— Paul McGinley (@mcginleygolf) February 9, 2018
Paul McGinley – Do you agree?
What do you think of Paul McGinley’s comments in big hitting in golf? Let us know in the ‘Comments’ section below.
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