USGA chief addresses controversial driver test claims

USGA boss Mike Whan has responded to claims that ‘most’ PGA Tour players cheat driver testing.

The system reared its head at Quail Hollow earlier this month, as Rory McIlroy saw his driver deemed non-conforming ahead of the PGA Championship.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler then conceded that his driver also failed conformity checks after lifting his first Wanamaker Trophy.

But the fire was stocked on Monday when former US Open champion Lucas Glover remarkably claimed that players know how to sidestep the tests.

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“I’ve been trying to think all morning and all day how to say this without sounding like it’s going to sound – but most guys don’t give them their real driver anyway,” Glover said on his SiriusXM radio show.

“They give them their backup just in case. No, it’s true. And the testing is the way it is, why, and again, I know a lot of guys, they keep two drivers in their bag just in case.

“Hey, oh, yeah – it’s this one. It’s this one right here. Yeah, do this, test this one.”

Speaking ahead of this week’s US Women’s Open at Erin Hills, however, Whan insisted those claims are not a ‘real concern’ for the governing body.

“I read something where somebody said that people can doctor the system, but we keep serial numbers of the driver that were given to us,” he said.

“And 90 percent of the drivers that were given to us in those practice facilities when we test are played on the first tee, and we expect ten percent of players to be making changes anyway.

“I don’t think that’s a real concern for us.”

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When asked about the drama that unfolded at the second men’s major of the year, Whan defended the confidentiality of testing.

“We’ve been testing for quite a while,” he said, “and having similar kind of results in those tests.”

“Last week or PGA Championship week was not an abnormal week, abnormal approach. One of the reasons honestly, we keep that confidential is because of what happened. Everyone starts talking about this incredible moment.

“But the PGA Tour has asked us, as did the PGA of America, to help them with that. It’s difficult for a player to know. It’s even difficult for a manufacturer to keep a calibrated machine that will calibrate with us.

“So, we provide that service to them just so they know when it’s over. If the creep factor on the CT of the driver creeps over, we tell them, and they switch it out.

“The biggest thing is we just try to keep the whole testing process kind of low key, because players know it’s coming. They see us coming. They give us the driver if we tell them.

“We give them kind of a green, yellow, or red. If they got a yellow, they start preparing for a backup driver or switch.

“So yeah, it seemed like a big week to everybody else, but for us it was a pretty standard week. We’ve tested at a lot of Tour events and other majors, so it wasn’t that abnormal for us. It just seemed to get abnormal coverage.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.