Length was not a big factor at St. Andrews or Valderrama, but the Match Play Championship in Australia that starts the new season could show the problems of playing under two sets of equipment rules.
Imagine Pierre Fulke, who has won on the European Tour using the
Callaway ERC driver, playing against Hal Sutton, who uses clubs
approved by the U.S. Golf Association.
Because the World Golf Championship event will be played in
Melbourne, it will be governed by Royal & Ancient Golf Club rules.
And the R&A decided earlier this year that thin-faced drivers can
be used in competition.
Perhaps that's one reason why PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem
recently sent a letter to the leaders of the USGA and the R&A
suggesting a joint rule-making body to set worldwide standards for
equipment.
"For the good of the game, its competitors and sanctioning
bodies, it is time for serious consideration of one equipment
rule-making body. The game will be better for it,'' Finchem said in
his letter to USGA chief David Fay and R&A secretary Peter Dawson.
The letter was obtained by Golf World magazine.
Fay said the USGA has discussed the Finchem letter, but there is
no simple solution.
"If you had one group doing it, the question would be who funds
it?'' Fay said. "If it's funded by the USGA and the R&A, then
suddenly we're no longer independent.''
The USGA has authority over the United States and Mexico, while
the R&A governs the rest of the world. They act with one voice for
32 of the 34 rules not related to equipment -- in other words, rules
that do not pertain to moneymaking ventures.
They often share information on equipment and agree on several
issues.
"It is not illegal for us to reach a joint decision,'' Fay
said. "Having said that, we also have been counseled that we
probably would be hauled into court in a New York minute if we did
reach an agreement on equipment'' because companies could allege
collusion.
One option would be for one rulesmaker to give the other sole
authority on equipment standards. Or the USGA and R&A could wait
and see if their opinions on spring-like effect of the thin-faced
clubs change over the next few years.
After all, Fay pointed out, the USGA approved steel shafts in
1924, while the R&A did not approve them until 1929.
"The system works well -- until we have a difference of
opinion,'' Fay said.
CASEY'S CALENDAR
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Jan. 17 to determine whether Casey Martin can continue to ride a cart in PGA Tour events.
Another big test for Martin comes Wednesday. He is among 169
players in the final stage of the Qualifying School. The top 35 players and ties
will earn their PGA Tour cards for 2001, while the next 50 will get
full exempt status on the Buy.com Tour.
Martin finished 179th on the PGA Tour money list this year, but resurrected his game in time to easily get through the second stage
of Q School. He has never finished in the top 50 in the final stage of Q School.
The six-round, pressure-packed tournament is being played this year over two courses at PGA West -- the Jack Nicklaus Tournament and Private Courses -- in La Quinta, Calif. Others in the field include Mike Hulbert, Robert Gamez, Ken Green, and 1999 U.S. Amateur champion David Gossett.
International players include Per-Ulrik Johansson, who played in
the 1995 Ryder Cup Matches, and Angel Franco, brother of three-time PGA
Tour winner Carlos Franco.
WORLD TOUR
Add another country to the worldwide tour known as the LPGA.
Commissioner Ty Votaw says the Sports Today Open, a $1.5 million
event, has been added to the 2001 schedule. It will be played Oct.
19-21 in Seoul, South Korea, giving the LPGA official tournaments
in seven countries next year. The others are the United States,
Canada, Australia, England, France, and Japan.
Organizers, which include IMG Korea, signed a five-year deal.
The field will come from the top 60 on the LPGA money list, with
the rest coming from the Korea LPGA money list.
SENIOR SKINS
The Senior Skins game will have two defending champions when it is played Jan. 27-28 at Wailea Resort in Hawaii.
Gary Player won the 2000 edition in dramatic fashion, winning his only skin on the first playoff hole for a carryover worth $220,000.
The other defending champion is Hale Irwin, the 1999 winner who
sat out last year so the event could feature the original Skins
Games foursome of Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom
Watson.
Palmer and Nicklaus will again round out the 2001 field.
FARR AWARD
Brandie Burton, a five-time Solheim Cup member who missed the 1999 season after two shoulder operations, has won the Heather Farr Award for her positive attitude and recovery from a career-threatening injury.
"Anything associated with Heather is an honor,'' Burton said.
The award, voted on by LPGA Tour members, is for the player who
demonstrates determination, perseverance and spirit. It is named
for Farr, who died in 1994 after a 4 1/2-year battle with breast
cancer.
After winning her second major championship, the 1998 du Maurier Classic, Burton had surgery to repair cartilage in her right shoulder. When the problem didn't clear up, she had reconstructive surgery and could not play last year.
Burton had eight top-10 finishes and was chosen for the Solheim Cup.
DIVOTS
The PGA Tour of Australasia has hired English-born communications executive Andy Laidlaw as its new chief executive officer. Laidlaw replaces Arthur Sanderson, who is retiring. ...
While JCPenney has decided to no longer sponsor the LPGA Tour event in Orlando, Fla., it also has gotten out of player endorsements -- namely, Dottie Pepper. "I'm out,'' she said. ... Stuart Appleby is the latest player to get involved in golf-course design. He will be working with IMG on a course in Torquay, Australia.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Eighteen players in the final stage of Q School are past winners on the PGA Tour.
FINAL WORD
"It was nice to win something in America." - Colin Montgomerie, after winning the Skins Game with a par on the third extra hole.
