McIlroy and Kopeka disagree on controversial debate over golf's future

27 June 2023 , 14:37

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Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka have contrasting opinions (Image: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy has reignited the discussion around the roll back of the golf ball, after the Northern Irishman labelled TPC River Highlands 'obsolete' at last week's Travelers Championship.

McIlroy finished in a tie for seventh at the Travelers, five shots behind eventual champion Keegan Bradley. Bradley's victory was an historic one, having carded a record-low score at the event with a 23-under-par total across his four rounds.

For McIlroy though, the record-breaking score was not something to be celebrated, the four-time major winner stood by his opinion that the ever-evolving technology of equipment is taking advantage of PGA Tour courses. On Sunday, he said: "I don’t particularly like when a tournament is like this.

"Unfortunately, technology has passed this course by. It has sort of made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had."

The debate surrounding technology is proving to be hot topic - gathering pace in recent months - especially when it comes to the golf ball. This comes after the R&A and USGA announced plans to roll back the ball, which will effectively be put in place to limit the distance a golf ball travels, in a bid to keep courses and events competitive at a professional level.

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McIlroy himself is one of golf's biggest hitters, but surprisingly has spoken out in support of the idea known as the 'Modern Local Rule'. Addressing the course issue on Sunday, McIlroy alluded to the setup of the Los Angeles County Club, which hosted the US Open one week earlier. "I think the blueprint for a really good golf course isn’t growing the rough up and making the fairways tight,” he added.

Rory McIlroy had his say on the technology of golf equipment (Getty Images)

"That bunches everyone together. The blueprint is something like Los Angeles Country Club where you have wide targets, but if you miss it’s penal. This [TPC River Highlands] isn’t that sort of golf course. It’s not that sort of layout. It doesn’t have the land to do that.

"So, you know, unfortunately when you get soft conditions like this and you’ve got the best players in the world, this is what’s going to happen.” Again McIlroy's take on LACC was a shock, after the course received plenty of criticism from his fellow stars. In particular, Brooks Koepka voiced his concerns at the third major championship of the year, commenting: "I'm not a huge fan of this place.

Brooks Koepka disagrees with Rory McIlroy (Getty Images)

"I'm not a huge fan of blind tee shots, and then I think there's just some spots that no matter what you hit, the ball just ends up in the same spot. I think it would be more fun to play on just like a regular round than it would be a U.S. Open. I mean, there's, what, two eights yesterday? That doesn't happen."

The same can also be said for Koepka's stance on the roll back too, after once again revealing he was 'not a huge fan' of the idea. "I think it could distance the better players to come to the top," he added. "And there could be a bigger gap between the top guys and the rest of the field. I'm not exactly for it.

Joshua Lees