Garrigus On USGA: "Amateurs making rules for the professional game."
/Michael Collins talked to Robert Garrigus about the anchoring ban and last weeks players meeting.
The PGA Tour player who has used every length putter imaginable says he asked USGA Executive Director Mike Davis about the make up of the current Executive Committee and how many have played tournament golf.
The video...and the text:
"Zero," Garrigus said Davis told him.
The 35-year-old winner of the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic didn't stop there.
"They are amateurs who are making rules for a professional game," Garrigus said.
"It's unfortunate that they are trying to ban it because the guys that are using the putter are good dudes. They're not cheating. It's within the rules right now. And it's never an advantage."
In his career, Garrigus has used a long putter anchored against his body.
"It's just unfortunate they've got to try to say that it's overwhelming the game. And I think that's ridiculous."
**There was even more from Garrigus in his post round interview transcript:
Q. You had some success with a really short putter, did the long. What are your thoughts on this potential ban of anchoring?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: My thoughts are that let us play golf and leave us alone pretty much. I talked to Mike Davis, I talked to Tim Finchem, I just asked one simple question: I asked him out of the 15 board members that vote on our game, our professional game, how many of them have ever struck a shot in competition? And that was zero, and that's all I needed to hear.
It's unfortunate they're trying to ban it and everybody is calling Keegan and those guys cheaters. They're not cheating. I told them to go back to the tape in Canada when I couldn't make a thing on the last day with a long putter. Couldn't sniff the hole from three feet. And they think it's cheating? I mean, I giggled at that. I told him to his face, just go back to the tape and check it out. I didn't make anything. You think it's going to be illegal? You still have nerves.
His point was saying, hey, you guys can adapt, you're professionals, but he doesn't have to make a putt for a million dollars, and that's the unfortunate thing. They're amateurs policing a professional game. It's just unfortunate. But we'll see what happens because you've got a lot of TOUR players, obviously Tim Clark and Carl Pettersson‑‑ Tim Clark can't even grip the club the right way. He has to get changed like this because his hands don't fold out. So he's probably going to do something legally if it comes to that, but I don't think it's going to come to that.
It's unfortunate that nerves play a big part in the game and being able to control them, and I don't think a long putter‑‑ who cares if Ernie won with a long putter or Keegan. They played great golf, they hit great shots and made great putts, and it doesn't matter what they were using. It's not as easy as it looks.
I've been saying that forever. I used a mini‑me putter for 28 inches, I used a 50‑inch putter in my chest, and I think the long putter helped me with the short one. I plead the case for the long putters because when we're playing and we miss a two‑footer on the last hole with whatever putter we're using, if we're in the top 10 or top 5, that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it's not our money, but it should be if we make the putt.
No, I don't think it's probably going to go through. I think there are some things that are going to happen that people will be surprised about.
