In surprise, Augusta will allow grandfathered Pings at Masters
Somebody prepare the philosophical asterisk.
Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday told CBSSports.com that no restrictions will be placed on iron usage at the Masters in April, opening the door for players to add the Ping wedges that have been a centerpiece of controversy this season.
Just a few days after a new grooves rule was enacted, the use of 20-year-old Ping wedges caused frayed nerves on the PGA Tour, with at least one player characterizing the use of the clubs as "cheating" and in violation of the spirit of the new rule.
The redesign of grooves in irons used on the major professional tours this year has greatly reduced the spin imparted on the ball, especially on shots hit out of the rough. But because of a pre-existing agreement between Ping, the PGA Tour and U.S. Golf Association, Ping Eye 2 wedges from 1990 and earlier have been green-lighted as conforming.
Therein lies the argument: If it were manufactured today and the loophole did not exist, the Eye 2 clubs could not be used in USGA competitions or on the PGA Tour. Since Augusta National didn't sign the legal agreement to grandfather the clubs, and the Masters isn't run by the tour, tournament officials have the authority to unilaterally ban the Pings from use.
Given that Augusta National had publicly toyed with the idea of instituting a field-wide tournament ball a few years ago, it ranked as a surprise when a club spokesman told CBSSports.com that "our stance has not shifted since last year's tournament when [Chairman Billy Payne] was asked about grooves during his press conference.
"As you probably know, the Masters is conducted under the USGA's rules of golf; there is no intention to make an exception in this case."
Last April, Payne said, "We generally embrace the rules of golf as articulated by the R&A and the USGA, and there won't be an exception there."
That was before anybody, especially including the PGA Tour, realized that a handful of players would opt to use the 20-year-old wedges to combat the loss of spin from 2009 standards. The Ping Eye 2 wedges, according to PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, impart 20 percent more spin than new irons made according to 2010 specifications. That's a significant difference. Thus, the Augusta decision creates the possibility, albeit somewhat slim, that a player might win the green jacket by using a controversial club that would be illegal if manufactured today. Approximately a half-dozen players have used the Eye 2 clubs this year.
Amid much outcry from some fellow players, Phil Mickelson, a two-time Masters champion, used a Ping Eye 2 wedge two weeks ago at Torrey Pines but took it out of the bag last week in Los Angeles. Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington has also considered adding a Ping wedge but so far has resisted the temptation.
In another interesting development, the LPGA said Wednesday that it would play according to USGA rules when its season begins next week in Thailand, even though the tour also could ban use of the clubs because it didn't sign the Ping legal agreement, which the PGA Tour signed in 1993.
