On Wednesday, the United States Golf Association and the R&A, who are the governing bodies of golf around the world, announced a universal golf ball rollback.
The announcement came after a proposal from both organizations in March to bifurcate the sport with a Model Local Rule (MLR) that would give tournaments and courses the option of playing a rolled-back golf ball. The golf world pushed back because many people love the idea that they are playing with the same equipment as the professionals.
The PGA Tour made it public that their tournaments would not use the MLR. This caused a stir, as three major championships — the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and The Masters — said they would use the MLR. The PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship, did not make a public statement.
Over the last eight months, there was a comment and feedback period, and after hearing out all the stakeholders, the decision was made that a universal rollback is the best option for the future of the game of golf. This means that everyone will lose a little distance off the tee.