The PGA Tour on Anchored Putting

Yesterday, PGA Tour director Tim Finchem said that the Tour is not in favor of the anchored putting ban. While not going so far as to say that the Tour would not adopt the ban, a reasonable stance since the rule is still a proposal, Finchem did reassert the Tour’s right to establish its own playing conditions.

He said the best way to avoid conflict over the matter would be for the USGA to rescind the proposal.

Finchem noted that there is no evidence that players who use the anchored stroke have an advantage on the greens, as not one of them is in the top quartile in putting statistics. (While it might help individuals putt better, anchored putters are not a high-performing group.)

He also noted that since this technique has been part of golf since 1975, the USGA has given it tacit approval for almost forty years. A ban would have been more acceptable if it had been put in place much earlier than now.

Finally, the only reason the USGA seems to have is that anchoring is not a traditional stroke–it looks odd. That’s no reason to prevent players, professional and amateur, who have built their golfing success on anchoring, from putting that way.

The USGA’s comment period ends this Thursday, February 28th. Its final ruling will be made this spring.

So far, the USGA has handled this issue like it did the greens at Shinnecock Hills in the 2004 U.S. Open. We can only hope the directors see that this is not the issue on which they want to stake their authority.

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