Graeme McDowell: Regulations limiting distance inevitable

Graeme McDowell: Do you want to play the Open at St Andrews and have it absolutely ridiculed? It would be very disappointing. Picture: Niall Carson

Graeme McDowell believes changes to equipment regulations to limit the distance professionals hit the ball are a case of "when, not if".

But the former US Open champion feels manufacturers will use their "very deep war chests" to fight any changes brought in by the R&A and USGA in the wake of their Distance Insights Project (DIP).

Golf's governing bodies want to break the "ever-increasing cycle of hitting distance" and will consider a local rule which would allow tournament committees to "specify use of clubs and/or balls intended to result in shorter hitting distances."

That move was welcomed by Rory McIlroy, but David Maher, the chief executive of leading equipment company Acushnet, believes the conclusions of the distance report "undervalue the skill and athleticism" of players and that current regulations have been "effective in setting upper limits" on performance.

The next stage of the DIP has been delayed until March 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the topic continues to dominate the agenda, largely thanks to the incredible distances being achieved by US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick accused DeChambeau of making "a bit of a mockery" of the game following an opening 62 in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open which saw the American drive the green on the 381-yard seventh hole at TPC Summerlin.

Asked by the PA news agency about possible changes to regulations, McDowell said: "I've heard some rumours that it's just a case of when, not if.

"There's a lot of things that have to happen, you have the equipment manufacturers and a lot of potential red tape out there, but at the end of the day we're talking about the future of the sport.

"You can look at it through two lenses. Through one you can say 'who cares if they smash it 400 yards, it's brilliant let them do it, it's exciting'.

"But it can just ridicule the greatest courses in the world. Do you want to play the Open at St Andrews and have it absolutely ridiculed? It would be very disappointing.

"The rumour is that the big ball manufacturers have got very, very deep war chests put aside for this day. I don't know how it's all going to play out, but it's going to be an interesting time for the game."

McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are among the players to post evidence on social media of the ball speed they can achieve when seemingly hitting flat out, McIlroy achieving 186mph and 340 yards of carry on his launch monitor.

Tony Finau also posted a video of himself achieving 206mph and McDowell added: "I never actually thought we'd see it.

"I didn't think anyone could get their ball speed to 200mph and be able to compete successfully on the PGA or European Tour because to me I think you'd have to compromise the rest of your game to do that.

"But we're now approaching crazy ball speeds. It used to be 170mph was the golden ticket, now 180 is pretty normal and I know plenty of guys that can hit it 190. It's starting to get silly.

"If you think about St Andrews - and I don't want to say just Bryson because there's going to be another 10 Brysons in the next 12 months - what could he do to St Andrews on a calm day?

"He could drive 10, maybe 12 greens. He could make it silly."