The recent controversy around the rollback ruling has gained the attention of the world’s best golfers. Several star players have criticized the idea of reducing the distance through a modified ball, a chorus echoing the fans’ woes. The voice has found another supporter in Jon Rahm, who minced no words in expressing his displeasure with the rule. But have all the naysayers forgotten Woods’ words from 2017?

Jon Rahm speaks up on the rollback conundrum

The Spanish golfer was speaking ahead of this week’s WGC-Dell Match Play event, where he was asked about his opinion on the rollback argument. The USGA and the R&A have jointly put their case for a modified ball, that could reduce driving distances considerably in major competitions.

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In his reply, Rahm revealed that he was unsure of the developments, but claimed the series of events made golf “more difficult” to play. “I haven’t talked to anybody in the USGA to understand why they’re so focused on testing all our equipment, whether it’s the driver, the ball, whatever it is,” he said.

“They’re hyper-focused on making professional golf a little bit more difficult than it already is. I don’t know why,” Rahm added further.

The World No. 2 also questioned the timing of such changes considering golf’s golden period post-COVID-19. “My biggest question for them would be we’re in a golden era of golf where it’s exploded since Covid, a lot of people are watching, you have a completely different tour, all these things are happening for the game and it’s growing. Why change what’s working?” he questioned the authorities.

Why was Tiger Woods supportive of the rollback?

While the recent outburst from professional golfers seems valid, 15-times major championship winner, Tiger Woods, had a different outlook on the problem six years ago. “We need to do something about the golf ball,” he had said regarding the issue.

Woods detailed how many major championship courses were already at their limit regarding their total yardage. He even mentioned that the problem was being tackled by the USGA already with a rollback.

“The USGA’s already looking at it,” he said. “They’re doing some research on what would the world look like if you rolled [the ball] back 10 percent, 15 percent, and 20 percent.”

Eventually, Woods predicted the future with his words. But after skepticism from the current crop of golfers, will the new ruling be implemented on the PGA Tour? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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