Gary Player Calls For Major Changes In Pro Golf At Lively Masters Press Conference
Player always delivers the goods.
Gary Player hitting a tee shot as an honorary starter to begin the Masters and then delivering a memorable press conference is turning into its own tradition unlike any other at Augusta National.
A year ago, Player talked about how fast food is killing everyone while also telling the world he has "a young girlfriend." The three-time Masters champion didn't bring up food or his love life this time around, but instead opted to take aim at professional golf and firmly plant his flag in the camp that the golf ball needs to be rolled back, big time.
"I believe the ball should be cut back 60 yards, only for professional golf. Leave everyone to golf as it is. They're the heart of the game, but professional golf is not. With regard to professional golf, cut the ball back 60 yards," Player explained.
"It's a tragedy. We got away from the concept of golf when it started originally, a par-5, a par-4, and a par-3. There is no such thing as a par-5 in the world today. We saw Rory with a 7-iron last year when he won the Masters, they're hitting 8-irons and 7-irons to par-5s."
READ: Ball Rollback May Be Coming: Golf's Governing Bodies Lay Out Plans To Reduce Distances
The distance debate and rolling back of the golf ball have been major talking points for years now. A day prior to Player's comments, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley reiterated the club's supportive stance on a potential rollback.
Player wasn't done driving home his point about the importance of nerfing the golf ball in the professional game; he even managed to throw in LeBron James and Michael Jordan into his explanation, though it didn't necessarily help his case.
"Wait until LeBron James comes out, Michael Jordan, and they are because incentivization is so great," Player continued. "There's so much money that people around the world are exercising and going to the gym, which originally I was criticized and condemned for doing that. They're lifting weights now. They'll drive the 1st green here very easily. They're going to be driving many, many par-4s. So where are we going?"
While Player's overall sentiment may be (mostly) accurate about extremely tall and lengthy players not dominating the game, his home country of South Africa has produced some in recent years.
Aldrich Potgieter, playing in his second Masters this week, leads the PGA Tour in driving distance this season. There is also Christo Lamprecht, a young professional who stands at 6-foot-8.