R&A CEO Martin Slumbers addresses golf ball rollback rules and Open Championship qualifying changes

The rollback rules on golf balls are a hot topic, and Martin Slumbers, CEO of R&A, knows as much. His company and the USGA are looking at the future of the sport and how to manage these issues. Golfers today hit the ball much further than they did in the past, and it has changed the sport as a whole.

He said via Golf Digest:

“Unequivocally, the ball is going further than it did 15 years ago. And I see no reason to doubt it will not continue to do so. I’ve long been of this view. And for a long time, I had to keep it private. But once we published our distance report at the start of this process, I was very clear that, for the good of the game, we need to address this issue."

He said that, as a result, they have no choice but to do something. He claimed that he and USGA CEO Mike Whan are in agreement there. He added:

"There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”

The ruling bodies in golf proposed a Model Local Rule (MLR) that gives competition organizers the option to require the use of golf balls that are tested under modified launch conditions. These are to limit the distance a golf ball can fly, theoretically evening the playing field a little bit. This was, of course, for elite competition and not anything else.

Martin Slumbers believes that last year's Open Championship qualifications were fine. They were the first in the LIV Golf era and allowed for players from both LIV and the PGA Tour to theoretically make it.

Martin Slumbers spoke on the Open Championship

He said:

“That’s the best global field we can get. I care about global. And we did that. There are enough spots between top-50 exemptions on the world rankings, plus our qualifying events in South Africa, Australia, Japan, on the Asian Tour and final qualifying. I am confident that we find the best players and get them into the field. We will do the same again next year.”

With that in mind, sweeping changes are highly unlikely. Those who qualified last year will likely be in good standing to do so again. Other Majors like the US Open are likely to follow the same.

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Martin Slumbers admits MLR didn't get a positive reception

The proposed MLR didn't go over well with many in the golf community, and Chambers admitted as much. He conceded that they have to listen to golfers, but that they have a responsibility to also think about the future of the sport. He said:

“The game was not happy with the Model Local Rule. There was a view that it would create a bifurcated game at the elite level. It was a very strong pushback against that. The PGA Tour was very public about it. So was the PGA of America. A number of players spoke out. And our job is to listen."

Chambers believes they will have a decision made by the end of the year, but whether or not everyone likes it remains to be seen.