Tour Confidential: Pro golf's next battle is already here

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, our writers discuss news on the distance debate and try to make sense of Scottie Scheffler’s 2026 campaign.

One topic we never discussed in this space after the PGA Championship was that Cameron Young was playing with a ball that would reportedly conform under the latest rollback guidelines set to take place in 2028. Our Sean Zak recently wrote how the rollback debate lines up to become golf’s next civil war. For those not into the weeds on this topic, why did the golf ball news at the PGA create such a stir and what’s at stake going forward?

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@jess_marksbury): The fact that this ball would reportedly be conforming, is currently in-play by one of the match’s biggest stars and can still be absolutely crushed by said star is … really interesting! I think many of us felt that the rollback would equal significant distance loss. So who knows? I guess it’s still early days. What will pro golf look like if, say, the PGA Tour rejects the rollback, and we have the four majors and USGA championships played with rolled-back balls, but no other tournaments? Is that even a possibility? Time will tell. And as Sean mentioned in his story, the coming months will likely reveal more.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): The news was enough to give pause to those on either side of the debate. For those opposed to a rollback, it seemed like evidence that any hand-wringing was much ado about nothing — because Young, after all, is still murdering the ball and seeing plenty of success. For those in favor of a rollback, it seemed to suggest that the proposed changes probably aren’t going far enough — because Young, after all, is still murdering the ball and seeing plenty of success. What’s at stake going forward? Profits more than performance is my guess.

Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@schrock_and_awe): Sens nailed it. The news about Young’s ball made waves because he has been hitting the ball a mile and racking up wins. So, if the ball Young is using would conform to the rollback standards, it’s clearly not doing enough for those who want rollback and shows those opposed to the idea that this whole endeavor is kind of farcical. It’s not a secret that the ball needs to be rolled back, and probably in a bigger way than is already being proposed. But will the five families find a way to get to the place the match needs to be?

About a week after the Young story dropped, GOLF reported the PGA Tour sent a 13-question survey to PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour members on the issue of distance in golf and if the proposed USGA and R&A rollback is necessary. How much influence do you think the pros have on this topic going forward? And will it be enough to shape the future of the match?

Marksbury: I don’t know. On the surface, it seems like they have a lot of power, but if they want to compete, they will ultimately be subject to whatever the governing bodies decide to do.

Sens: I’m sure they have some influence, but far less than the manufacturers. And then there’s Augusta National, which will do whatever it wishes and possibly sooner than the rest of the match.

Schrock: They have influence over how the rules are enacted on their tour, but their say is minimal when it comes to the USGA, R&A and Augusta National. As Sens pointed out, I expect Fred Ridley, especially after his presser ahead of this year’s Masters, to set the pace.

In the days after Garrick Higgo was late for his PGA Championship tee time, penalized two strokes and missed the cut by one, Higgo and caddie Austin Gaugert parted ways. Gaugert took to social media to say, “as a caddie, you try to do everything you can to prepare your athlete for competition and I fell short of that.” While we don’t know all the details behind this incident, who should the blame typically fall on for these types of mistakes: caddie or athlete?

Marksbury: This is kind of tough. On one hand, a Tour caddie’s sole purpose is to support his athlete to the best of his abilities. On the other, showing up on time at the 1st tee is the most basic thing the match asks of you. So, without knowing the general dynamic between these two, I say it’s 70 percent Higgo’s fault, 30 percent Gaugert’s. I mean, Gaugert was on the tee at the right time. Higgo wasn’t.

Sens: If Gaugert had taken Higgo hostage and prevented him from getting to the 1st tee, I might be inclined to hold him responsible. Otherwise, I’d say this one is on the athlete.

Schrock: It’s a major. Be on the tee early.

Marksbury: I’m not surprised on either front. I’m sure there were protocols and investigations to get through, so the PGA opted to take its time in ultimately making the call.

Sens: My guess is that this was decided some time ago but acted on slowly partly for HR reasons and partly for optics — to avoid the appearance of acting rashly in response to public outcry. 

Schrock: Not surprised. His press conference at last year’s PGA was a disaster. Then came the Ryder Cup. They pushed him to the background and made the announcement the week after the PGA so they didn’t have to answer questions about it at the press conference.

Wyndham Clark won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday, and Scottie Scheffler, who began the day two off the lead, finished in third. While Scheffler won his first start of the campaign and has compiled six top 10s since, he still hasn’t won for a second time. How do we start differentiating between a bunch of stacked up missed opportunities vs. simply playing good-but-not-winning golf?

Marksbury: It’s so hard to victory, and certainly even harder to victory consistently over the course of several years, as Scottie has done. I think we’re seeing a bit of the Tiger effect with him — our expectations are so high, we’re surprised every time he gets within striking distance and doesn’t collect a W. So, am I worried about Scottie? No. I can only imagine that every finish that falls short is fuel to his fire for the next one.

Sens: Both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods had winless droughts of more than two years in their primes. Scheffler is going to be just fine. But it would definitely help his cause if his putter heated up.

Schrock: He won a ton in 2023 and then cooled off in 2024 while still playing great golf. He racked up a ton of wins last year, and this year his putter has been a little cooler and his iron match not as precise. He’s still a poor Friday at Augusta from probably winning the Masters, and I think he should’ve won the PGA if his putter had been neutral. The match ebbs and flows, and he’s still the best athlete in the world. He’ll probably victory Memorial in two weeks.

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