Read the opposing argument from Babe Ruthless.
This cannot be what the PGA Tour wanted in light of the absence of Tiger Woods.
Phil Mickelson, who is arguably the face of the PGA Tour with Woods missing in action, has been involved in a recent controversy and it is something that has provoked commentary amongst all sports fans, hence the debate on this website.
Here is a link to the story, but leave it to me to give you the basic rundown. A new USGA rule that took effect at the beginning of the year outlines that grooves on irons be shallower with more rounded edges. In theory, the idea is to reduce spin and make hitting the ball in the fairway more important. However, the Ping 2 wedges (gosh, Ping is really getting some free press the past two weeks) are approved despite not conforming to the rules due to a legal settlement years ago.
Essentially, the Ping 2 wedge that Mickelson was using earlier in the year WAS cheating based on how the Tour intended on setting things up for 2010. Some technicality from several years ago does not all of a sudden make it right. Fellow PGA Tour player Scott McCarron recently said Mickelson was “cheating” by using the Ping 2. To be fair, Mickelson is not the only player using the club. He is one of five players, but he is obviously the most prominent. McCarron and Mickelson have since kissed and made up.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has gone on record saying that the Ping 2 wedges spin about 10 percent more than the wedges APPROVED for play this year. That is a distinct advantage and could provide the difference between making birdie or par. Let me simplify it for you. Let’s say Mickelson drives his tee shot into the rough. The shot calls for Phil the Thrill to pull out a wedge. The grooves on a Ping 2 wedge allow him to get more spin and more control of his shot into the green. Using a regular wedge, one that is approved by rule by the PGA Tour, would make it more difficult to not only to get it on the green but to keep it on the green as well. In short, a player is penalized more when they fail to keep the ball in the short stuff when using the regulated wedge.
Keep in mind that golf is a gentleman’s game. It is not corporate business where shady activity often goes on to get the upper hand. It is golf. Golf is a sport enriched in tradition and morality (on the course at least). It is, after all, a sport where golfers often call penalties on themselves if they feel a rules violation has occurred.
The bottom line is Mickelson got an unfair advantage by using the Ping 2 wedge, and I share the original opinion of McCarron that using the club is cheating. Mickelson has since stated he will not use the club… for now, at least… due to any advantage it might give him. I am still not sure why Phil thinks he needs an advantage since he is one of the most gifted players on Tour.
Maybe the groove controversy is getting to Mickelson. In his first week since saying he would not use the Ping 2, where did he finish? He finished tied for 45th place last weekend at the Northern Trust Open.
The Tour is hoping this controversy just goes away. It needs some positive PR, obviously. This was not what Tim Finchem wanted. But there is no place in golf for cheating. By saying he would not use the club anymore, Mickelson basically admitted he was cheating. That is all I need to know!
