What about the spirit of the grooves rule?

The Associated Press has reported that John Daly is using wedges with square grooves at the Sony Open in Hawaii, despite new USGA rules that prohibit such grooves. He is not violating the rules, however, because they're old Ping wedges that remain legal by virtue of a settlement USGA reached with Ping in 1990 after Ping had sued the USGA.

Dean Wilson also is using a Ping lob wedge that was made in the '80s.

-- John Strege