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European legend Tony Jacklin has accused The R&A of ‘ignoring the issue’ of anchoring in golf.
The two-time major winner and host of the British Par-3 Championship believes the governing bodies have ‘failed to address golf’s biggest problems’ ahead of the new Rules of Golf being implemented from January 1, 2019.
“A lot more tweaks to the rules have been made but when are the powers-that-be going to tackle the issue of anchoring, or restrict the distance the golf ball travels by 25 or 30 yards so that so many of the great golf courses the top players used in the past can be made relevant again?” he said in a post on his website.
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“When are the lawmakers going to really get to grips with the anchoring problem? They got that one badly wrong a few years ago. They haven’t corrected their mistake and now they are ignoring the issue.
“What makes them think that being able to put your putter alongside your arm isn’t anchoring? If you go back deep into the mists of time, when great players like Harry Vardon and Ted Ray were around, long putters weren’t allowed. Pure and simple.”
Jacklin also questioned the PGA Tour for upgrading Gary Player’s Senior British Open wins of 1988, 1990 and 1997 as senior major victories.
Previously, the PGA Tour only considered Gary to have won six senior majors, but he had always argued that all Senior Open victories should count, which is now the case.
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“Nothing against Gary because they should have been recognised as majors all along but, to my mind, it’s ridiculous to make a change like that retrospectively because they are rewriting the course of history,” he added.
“A lot of these changes the rulemakers around the world have made don’t make sense. A lot of the conclusions they have reached don’t make sense.”
Do you agree with Tony?
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