“I think more people are excited about golf now” - Patrick Cantlay remains skeptical of golf ball rollback rule change

Patrick Cantlay is one of the players who does not support the ball rollback rule announced by the governing bodies and which will come into effect in 2028. Cantlay does not believe it will help improve the game. "I think more people are excited about golf now," he said.

Cantlay finished the first 18 holes of the 2024 Genesis Invitational as the leader with a score of 7-under 64. After his first round at Riviera, he held his usual press conference, where he was reminded that when the ball rollback rule was announced, he said he would take some time to learn more about it before passing judgment.

Now Patrick Cantlay was clear in stating his disagreement with the measure. Here's what he had to say (via TenGolf):

"I don't think it would be good for the game, I think more people are excited about golf now, more than ever, hearing some of the numbers that there's been more rounds played in the last year than ever before in this country, I think that's fantastic and I know it's growing worldwide as well. That should be the emphasis."

In December 2023, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the R&A issued a joint statement to announce the adoption of the ball rollback rule. Specifically, the rule seeks to curb the progressive increase in the length of drives in modern golf.

It is expected that higher-powered men's professional players will see the distance of their drives reduced by about 15 yards.

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What else did Patrick Cantlay talk about?

Reporters asked Patrick Cantlay for his thoughts on recent cases of players with scores under 60s, including on the Korn Ferry Tour. Cantlay offered a number of criteria other than that drives are traveling farther and farther.

Here's what he had to say (via TenGolf):

"The conditions are getting better, guys are getting better, and guys are also playing more aggressively... Most guys have a statistician look over their stuff and in general it skews more aggressive that the gains are worth it, so it's not too surprising.

"Young kids are growing up with better information, more drive and they've been emulating [Tiger Woods] for over a decade now, so, I think that's led to a generation of golfers that, as a whole, are better."

Patrick Cantlay played the first round of the Genesis Invitational with eight birdies and only one bogey. He was especially close on the front nine, where he carded a 30 with five birdies. The score could have been even better, as he missed three putts inside 10 feet.

Despite these misses, Cantlay exhibited some of the best putting of the round, as he gained 4.032 strokes with his putter (ranked second on the day). He led the round in total strokes gained (6,171) as well.