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In Europe, anchor ban met with little more than a shrug

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:24:00 GMT

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- There were, as expected, no surprises. Almost six months on from their original announcement on the now notorious Rule 14-1b, the R&A today joined (simultaneously) with the USGA in confirming that the so-called "anchoring" of putters to any part of the body during a stroke will be deemed illegal starting January 1, 2016.

"We know that not everyone will agree with our final decision," said chief executive Peter Dawson at a press conference held in the Ryder Cup room of the Wentworth clubhouse. "But we do hope that the care and love for the game that all have expressed through their participation in this process will facilitate acceptance of Rule 14-1b when it takes effect."

Peter Dawson talks at Tuesday's press conference. (Photo: Getty Images)

In that respect, Dawson was on much firmer ground than his USGA counterpart, Mike Davis. Opposition and/or dissension during this whole process have largely been confined to the western end of the Atlantic Ocean.

"We had no feedback from people saying they would give up golf if long or belly putters were banned," commented Sandy Jones, chief executive of the British PGA. "Plus, we are fully supportive of the R&A as the rule-making body. We like this rule. It will do no harm to the game at any level. I just don't see anyone using them.

"It does seem to be more of an American problem, one that has a lot to do with the speed of the greens over there. Eliminating variables in the stroke is much more helpful when the greens are slick.

"Plus, less than one percent of putter sales worldwide are long putters. So where is this big problem? (PGA of America president) Ted Bishop's comments were nonsense really. There is no evidence to support his view. I played with Ted last week at Sawgrass. I use a 32-inch putter and made some good ones with him watching. I told him he was going the wrong way with this thing. Maybe he should be banning the short putter."

Most European Tour players, it is safe to say, feel similarly.

"I agree with what the R&A are doing," said Italian Ryder Cup player, Francesco Molinari, nicely summing up the mood of the majority. "I think it's important that we swing all 14 clubs in the bag and not just 13 of them. I have never liked that guys could anchor their putters to any part of their bodies.

"What the R&A has done is a good compromise. If they had legislated on the clubs themselves, I'm not sure it would have worked. Even with a short putter it is possible to anchor it. So what they have done makes sense to me. Some may argue that they are a bit late in doing what they are doing, but I say it is never too late to do the right thing."

Which is not to say that absolutely everyone on the European Tour is 100 percent behind what Dawson called "the most controversial rule change for a long time."

"After 30 years, I'm not sure it is right to be having such a drastic effect on players who have used it their whole careers," contended leading coach Denis Pugh. "It's an arbitrary call. Having said, that, if we were starting tomorrow I'd rule that the putter has to be the shortest club in the bag and also have the lease loft. Then go play.

"So I can see that long and belly putters are 'wrong.' But they have been wrong for too long. Plus, I think they have overcomplicated things. I can see guys finding ways round this rule."

As for those charged with policing will invariably be, in practice, the tiniest of adjustments, European Tour chief referee John Paramor was broadly optimistic about both the immediate future and the brave new putting world post-2016.

"With the all the information that has been forthcoming from the R&A, it isn't going to be too difficult for us to pass it on to the players," he said. "I think the vast majority of players currently using anchored strokes will end up using a method that does not require any judgment calls on our part. We have more than two years to iron out any problems before we get to that stage. So it won't be a problem.

"I can see a small number asking us if their adjustments are OK, but not many. It won't be a problem though. There are many other rules where we rely on the integrity of the players to guide us. I am always asking guys what they were trying to do or intending to do in certain situations. This rule is no different in that respect. Besides, if anyone is close to anchoring after making any adjustments, we have more than two years to have a word with them about it."

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13 Horribly-Timed Water Balls

Luke Kerr-Dineen — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Recounting shots that found the drink at inopportune moments

Get your 2014 Ryder Cup logoed belt, buckle here

John Strege — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:50:00 GMT

By John Strege Given that the PGA of America never considers it too early to begin hyping the Ryder Cup, it follows that it's never too early to begin selling Ryder Cup-logoed merchandise. Hence,...

WGC Match Play: Ian Poulter continues his match-play dominance

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:50:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Here's a look at what transpired on Friday at Dove Mountain and what we can look forward to on Saturday:

Revelation of the day -- Ian Poulter is a match-play god:
Does this guy EVER lose in this format? The Ryder Cup hero's only PGA Tour win came at this event in 2010. That means that somehow he was beaten in each of the last two years, but we wouldn't bet against him. While this format makes predicting a winner even harder than usual, the Englishman has emerged as the clear favorite heading into the weekend.

"Nice try, Bo. Who's next?" (Photo: Getty Images)

"That's soooo match play" moment of the day -- Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk: The match looked all but over when Watson, 1 up, stuck his approach on No. 18 to about three feet. But Furyk answered with a great shot of his own and when "the Grinder" made his putt and Watson missed, the two went to extra holes. Watson wound up winning on the 22nd hole, but only after putting himself through some unnecessary stress.

Weirdest Day -- Rickie Fowler and Francesco Molinari:
Thanks to late tee times and a rare snow storm, these guys both managed to make it to Day 3 of the event without winning a single match. They showed up to the course on Friday to play a combined six holes before bowing out, but we don't feel too badly for them. The $46,000 for simply competing in the tournament is a nice parting gift.

Shot of the Day -- Scott Piercy:
The 34-year-old holed his approach from 228 yards on the fifth hole to go 4 up in his match against the 2011 champ, Luke Donald. Piercy didn't stop, shooting six under on the front nine and winning 7 and 6 -- the most lopsided victory of the tournament. There's a scientific term for what the former No. 1 player in the world ran into: a buzzsaw.

Saturday's sneaky-good best match of the day -- Matt Kuchar vs. Nicolas Colsaerts:
The long-hitting Belgium became a household name during the Ryder Cup when he made eight birdies and an eagle on his own ball in a match against Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood. He'll need to showcase some of that firepower vs. Kuchar, who has an 11-3 record in this event and has been ousted by the eventual champ in each of the past two years.

Saturday's best chance for an international incident -- Hunter Mahan vs. Martin Kaymer:
It seems impossible for Mahan to look at his German opponent and not begrudge him for sinking the putt that won Europe the Ryder Cup this past fall. If Kaymer really wanted to get under Mahan's skin -- and that might be a good idea considering he's won eight straight matches in this event -- he'd show up to the first tee decked out in Ryder Cup gear.

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The Peanut Putter from Fred Daly Golf

John Strege — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:05:00 GMT

By John Strege ORLANDO -- Fred Daly won the British Open in 1947, won the British Matchplay Championship three times, played on four Ryder Cup teams and designed and developed his own equipment under...

McGinley's selection as Ryder Cup captain a natural one for Europe

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:58:00 GMT

By John Huggan

Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- After all the talking, all the speculation, all the toing and froing, all the other names in the Ryder Cup frame, it took the European Tour's tournament committee only an hour to decide that Paul McGinley was the man they wanted to lead Old World against New at Gleneagles next year.

Five men were considered: Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Lawrie and McGinley.

"But we are 100 percent behind this captain," said Thomas Bjorn, chairman of the 15-strong committee. "It was obvious very early that a consensus was forming. We had all listened to the players on tour and it was obvious who they wanted to represent them. In the end, it was a unanimous decision and we are all 100 percent behind him."

Photo by Getty Images

Certainly, McGinley was pleased with the outcome. He arrived on stage for the late night press conference held in the Regal Ballroom inside the St. Regis hotel here with the widest of smiles across his expressive face. And the first thing he did was reach across and fondly caress the famous gold trophy, one that Europe has won in seven of the last nine encounters with the United States.

Related: Recent U.S. Ryder Cup captains

"I'm thrilled," he said. "It's a great honor to be chosen to lead the cream of the crop from what is arguably the strongest European Tour in history. I'm humbled to be sitting here as Ryder Cup captain and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go up against one of my golfing heroes in Tom Watson."

Certainly, it was obvious that the 46-year old Dubliner had the support of the vast majority amongst the tour's rank-and-file. So if the committee members took any account of that level of feeling -- and they did -- there was only ever going to be one winner.

Perhaps even more importantly, McGinley had the public backing of world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and three other key members of the 2012 team -- Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Luke Donald. Throw in the fact that Irishmen McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowery and Peter Lawrie all appeared during the new skipper's press conference and it is clear that Europe has perhaps never before had a more universally-popular leader.

"Common sense prevailed," tweeted the world No. 1. "Paul McGinley 2014 European Ryder Cup captain. Couldn't be happier for him. Roll on Gleneagles."

"I stand by what I said earlier this week," continued McIlroy. "And it would be great to see Darren Clarke get the job in 2016. I played under Paul in the Seve Trophy and had such a good time. He made us all feel so comfortable. He's the best captain I've ever played under."

Such an unprovoked recommendation did not go unnoticed by McGinley, who was noticeably and sensibly silent throughout the convoluted and sometimes near-farcical build-up to the committee's decision. "It's amazing what you can learn when you listen and don't talk," he said with a smile. "Besides, the players were speaking for me so there was no need for me to say anything. But I will say that Rory is in good shape for a pick if he doesn't make the team."

Cue yet another grin as wide as Galway Bay.

Three times a Ryder Cup player -- three times on the winning side -- McGinley memorably holed the winning putt at The Belfry in 2002 and twice served as vice-captain in the biennial contest, as well as twice led the Great Britain & Ireland side against the Continent of Europe in the Seve Trophy. It was there that he developed the reputation for thoroughness and attention to detail that undoubtedly contributed most to his selection.

Still, with only four European Tour victories on his resume -- he and Padraig Harrington also won the World Cup for Ireland in 1997 -- he does at first glance have the look of a diminutive David against the golfing Goliath that is the eight-time major champion, Watson. And yes, he is surely the least-distinguished player to land the role since John Jacobs in1981. But don't be fooled. McGinley was ultimately the right man for the job --ask almost anyone on the European Tour and they'll tell you so.

Follow @johnhuggan

Golf Has Plenty Of Room For Growth

Ron Sirak — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:00:00 GMT

It's time for golf to embrace new ways of increasing participation.

Poulter in fighting trim on eve of tour opener

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:32:00 GMT

(Getty Images photo)

By John Strege

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- The Ryder Cup has come to define Ian Poulter, who would rather define himself and adamantly would do so in broader terms.

"Ryder Cup, that's the first thing in their mind," he said, of how others would identify him. "But my golf over the years has been good enough -- two WGC [World Golf Championship] victories, 13, 14 others. I tweeted somewhat this morning when there was an article put out there that Ian Poulter has two PGA Tour wins and no majors. They seem to forget 14 other tournaments won around the world. That's a little frustrating."

His Tweet referenced a slight that wasn't. It came in a story by Shane Bacon on Yahoo! Sports, headlined, "What to expect in 2013." Poulter was among those about whom Bacon wrote, in a flattering manner at that. Bacon concluded with this: "I like Poulter to win multiple times in '13 and I see him contending at both Augusta National and the Open Championship."

For each of the players cited, Bacon listed identical brief biographical information: Age, number of PGA Tour victories and number of major championships. Poulter, who will turn 37 next week, has two PGA Tour victories, including the WGC-HSBC Champions late last year that earned him an invitation here. He has not won a major.

"[Bleep] report apparently 14 wins everywhere else around the world don't count. Just 2 on PGATour," he wrote on Twitter.

It all counts, of course, his two WGC, 10 European Tour, two Asian Tour, one Japan Golf Tour and one PGA Tour of Australasia victories (and his stirring role in European Ryder Cup victories). But the fact he felt slighted seems to reflect to a degree his own career analysis, that his resume is incomplete, notwithstanding his saying that "I'm really happy with it.

"I would like to win a major. That's the next big thing," he said. "Am I just perceived as a Ryder Cup goliath? I don't know. It was pretty good is what it was...I've underachieved, in my eyes. I don't think I've done enough. I definitely think there's a lot of room for improvement. I started late in golf so I've got a few good years left."

That would be to golf's benefit, for what Poulter ought to be defined by, in addition to the Ryder Cup, is his ability to entertain. There's never a dull moment, as the slight that wasn't demonstrates.

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Golf Digest editors discuss the inspiration behind our January 2013 cover

Steve Hennessey — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:27:00 GMT

Inspiration for our best conceptual ideas here at Golf Digest come in different shapes and sizes. Often times, a brainstorming conversation on the golf course among editors and writers will spur a feature. Or perhaps...

Golf Lessons of 2012

Peter Morrice and Alex Myers — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Fifteen lessons from the game's highest level in 2012 that can help your game.