Rory McIlroy's Own Coach Calls Him Out For His 'Weak' Rollback Argument

Rory McIlroy, one of the longest hitters in professional golf, is very much in the camp that the golf ball should travel a shorter distance. He welcomes the recently announced rollback plans from the USGA and R&A and is one of just a few players to come out and share his opinion.

On Tuesday, the day before the announcement was made that the rollback will occur in the professional game in 2028 and for amateur golfers in 2030, McIlroy shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, with his thoughts on the matter.

"I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball roll back," McIlroy wrote. "It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past 2 decades."

READ: GOLF’S GOVERNING BODIES MAY BE COMING FOR YOUR DRIVER NEXT AFTER OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCING BALL ROLLBACK

McIlroy also went on to explain that people's frustration should be more directed at elite pros and the ball manufacturers themselves because they didn't want bifurcation where pros would use nerfed golf balls and recreational players would play 'regular' ones.

"Elite pros and ball manufacturers think bifurcation would negatively affect their bottom lines, when in reality, the game is already bifurcated," he continued. "You think we play the same stuff you do?"

Rory McIlroy is very much on Team Rollback, but his own putting coach, Brad Faxon doesn't appear to be. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Every golfer at every level seems to have an opinion on the topic and while plenty are on Team Rory in this case, his putting coach, Brad Faxon, is not.

“That is a pretty weak argument in my opinion. Because he might say the higher handicappers play from a shorter tee or that the clubs that the pros get to use are that much different, I don’t think they are that much different," Faxon said on his SiriusXM radio show.

“There aren’t balls the pros are using that are not at the counter at your pro shop.”

Pros certainly get their hands on prototype golf balls from manufacturers and have their equipment fit to perfection unlike the vast majority of amateur players, but Faxon's opinion is a strong one.

The very obvious difference some seem to be forgetting here is professional golfers are professional golfers for a reason - they are better and longer than amateur players - and changing the golf ball isn't going to change that reality whatsoever.

It's hard to see how the rollback doesn't make the game harder for amateurs in comparison to professionals given every golf course in the world will now be longer. For weekend warriors who don't consistently find the center of the clubface the game may be a bit more interesting come 2030.

Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com