Tiger Woods responds to rollback reports

Tiger Woods has given his reaction to a report that golf’s governing bodies are set to roll back the ball – and he’s not best pleased. 

According to Golf Digest, the R&A and USGA will announce plans for to “make nearly every popular golf ball played both professionally and recreationally non-conforming”.

In other words, the organisations are set to perform a slight course correction on their intention to bifurcate the game by introducing a Model Local Rule for golf balls used in elite competitions – announced in March this year – and, instead, roll the ball back for every golfer at every level.

Speaking to reporters in the Bahamas following the third round of the Hero World Challenge – his first start since The Masters in April – former world No.1 Woods was asked for his opinion on the reported changes.

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Suffice to say, he won’t be endorsing the move.

“I’ve always been for bifurcation,” said the 15-time major champion. “I’ve always said that. Just like wood [baseball] bats and metal bats.”

Which is not to say he’s against changing the ball altogether. He just believes it should be roll backed for pros only.

“This has been I guess the talk ever since I’ve been out on tour,” added Woods. “To finally see it come to this point where I think both governing bodies who control the rules around the world are going to come to a collaborative understanding — we just doesn’t have enough property anymore.

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“We’ve been hammering the ball needs to slow down, but it has kept speeding up my entire time on career and here we are.”

Woods added that he is “excited” by how he is feeling on his latest return to the game this week even if, physically, he’s incapable of doing everything he once could.

“I used to be able to call upon any shape, any shot whenever you wanted and was able to contort myself to those shots,” he added. I can’t do that anymore.

“I’ve always been one that has been able to hit the ball in the middle of the face, so that’s been good. I think I was saying to you guys yesterday that I’m hitting the ball further than I did when I first came out on tour. I’m slower but I’m still able to hit the ball in the middle of the face, so there’s always an advantage to do that.”

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor