Eight-time European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie declared it will ‘open a can of worms’ if the PGA Tour goes against an expected ban in anchoring the belly or long-handled putter.
The PGA Tour and the PGA of America, as organisers of the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, have forwarded formal submissions to the USGA disagreeing with the ‘anchoring’ proposal.
Finchem remarked last Sunday that the PGA Tour had agreed to go against the wish of the USGA and R & A if the ban was enforced.
Colin Montgomerie declares PGA Tour stance on ‘anchoring’ ban will open a can of worms. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
In fact, Finchem disclosed 13 of the 15 members of the Tour’s Players Advisory Council were against the ban.
“We did give the USGA our position last week and our Player Advisory Council concluded that we should be opposed to it and we articulated that to the USGA,” said Finchem.
“So I want to clarity it that we are very supportive with the USGA and we hold them in high regard but we were asked our opinion and feel strongly going down that road would be a mistake.
“So unless you have a compelling reason to change it, you shouldn’t.
“And the USGA has indicated there is no performance advantage to anchoring so on that basis, and given the fallout occurs with amateurs and the fallout that occurs with players like Webb (Simpson) and Keegan (Bradley), and those who have grown up with the process, there then are negatives.”
But Monty, who continues to use the belly putter in competition, declared the stance of the PGA Tour and PGA of America is against the principles of the Rules of Golf.
“It will just open up a whole new can of worms,” said Monty on SKY Sports.
“I thought, as we all did, that the Rules of Golf were set by the R & A and USGA but now Tim Finchem has obviously thought otherwise.
“Whether the European Tour think that has to be debated, too.
“But my own view is that we should go with what the R & A and the USGA feel.
“The long-putter, whether it should have been banned 20 years ago or not, should be banned now and Peter Dawson is dead right and Mike Davis of the USGA is dead right as well, and the pair of them have got together with their various committees and this is Rules of Golf and we should abide by that.
“So the PGA Tour to now go against that and say ‘my players aren’t going to go with that, and we are going to have a local rule where you can anchor the putter to your’ is not right.
“What happens when come to the US Open that is run by the USGA and the British Open that is an R & A event? Does that mean you have to use a different club because it is a different rule?
“It is very dangerous, a very dangerous situation we could get ourselves into and do I hope we can sort this out very quickly.”
The European Tour, who has to forward their views to the R & A by February 28th, has not commented on the PGA Tour’s stance.
