3x Major Champion Firmly Declares the ‘Rules of Golf’ as On-Course Controversy Takes a Heated Turn

Those who are not familiar with golf may never understand the intricacies behind the sport. The sport seems rather simple to outsiders, as all it involves is hitting the ball with a club. But there are several rules that must be strictly followed, including how many strokes it takes to make a hole and the varied gears for each stroke.

Sometimes we hear how players get penalties for their games. Sometimes it’s the viewers of the TV stations who catch the errors. The likelihood that participants engaged in a struggle over the rule is likewise fairly high. And this time it’s a three-time major champion getting involved in a rule dispute—and not even mid-tournament!

PGA Tour veteran condemns his insight on the rule

Padraig Harrington is one of the more experienced players in golf. Despite his age, the 52-year-old is a worthy opponent for many younger players. Last year, he even won the US Senior Open. Of late, the golfer has been a vocal front for all the hot topics in golf, and as he’s proved this time, he won’t stand for anything he does not like in the sport!

To give a brief context, the Writer Cup, Barstool Sports’ version of the Ryder Cup, is underway right now. But things got heated between Kirk Minihane and Francis Ellis, two of the golfers competing in the event. On par 3, Ellis took five strokes and eventually holed the ball after missing a 10-foot putt. And when the time came for Arian Foster, Francis’ partner, to try and improve their score, Minihane argued that since Ellis had holed the ball, their turn was done, and the score was set at 5, regardless of what Foster scored. This in turn sparked a huge controversy considering the players were playing a scrabble, and hence tensions between them grew!

Nuclr Golf posted the video from the course on Twitter. Having viewed it, Harrington immediately entered the discussion and offered his opinion on the rule. He said, ”The “rules of golf” do not cover scrambles, so there’s no answer. Common practice would suggest the hole is finished when the first ball is holed, thus a 5.” 

Well, considering Harrington’s experience, his assessment of the entire scenario might help to reduce the tension. But there are some rules that bother some golfers, just like the new proposed rule.

The potential new golf rule sparks yet another debate

The USGA will come out with a new rule in January 2026. The proposed rule will limit how far the ball can go in competitions. The whole idea is to reduce the distance the ball covers and make competition for golfers more challenging.

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In accordance with the revised rules, golf balls cannot fly more than a certain number of yards. The new regulations state that golf balls can only travel 320 yards (plus a tolerance of 3 yards) when struck with a club traveling at 127 mph (up from 120 mph). However, English golfer Tony Jacklin believes the concept is pointless given the large number of athletes who can drive farther than 350 yards.

It is clear that any rule is going to have people on either side of it! What do you think about Harrington’s remarks? Let us know in the comments below.

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