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- USA’s Keegan Bradley reacts after missing a putt on the 16th hole during a singles match at the Ryder Cup PGA golf tournament Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012, at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.
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- Keegan Bradley lines up a putt on the 4th green during the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club with his Odyssey putter in hand.
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- Adam Scott celebrates his win on the 18th hole during Day 4 of the Australia Masters.
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- Adam Scott lines up a putt on the 11th green during Round Two of the 94th PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on August 10, 2012 in Kiawah Island, S.C.
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- Adam Scott reacts to a missed par putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 141st Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.
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- Bernhard Langer, reading his putt on 12 during the second round of play at the 73rd Senior PGA Championship, presented by KitchenAid held at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA, on Friday, May 25, 2012.
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- Bernhard Langer celebrates his birdie putt on #17 during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 9, 2008 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
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- Tim Clark of South Africa lines up a putt during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship held at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 9, 2010 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
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- Tim Clark looks over his putt at No. 18 during the final round.
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- Ernie Els is framed by golf bags as he lines up a shot in the 11th green during the first round of the Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Thursday, April 26, 2012.
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- Ernie Els with his putter at the Barclays.
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- Ernie Els at No. 6 during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
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- LPGA rookie Mo Martin started using the long putter at the age of 6.
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- Matt Kuchar reacts after a putt on the tenth green during Round Two of the 94th PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on August 10, 2012 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
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- Carl Pettersson
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- Rocco Mediate
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Editor’s note: Check out all of our in-depth stories on the anchoring issue here.
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Don’t expect to see any of the major amateur tournaments going against the U.S. Golf Association and its ban on the anchored stroke. These events have long played by USGA rules, and officials involved with the tournaments expect that to continue:
• Denny Glass, Northeast Amateur tournament director: “We wouldn’t oppose what the USGA mandates. As far as the Northeast Amateur, if the USGA says no (to anchoring), then we’re going to say no.
“On the other hand, my personal feeling is that it’s mostly about amateurs and their enjoyment of the game, so in that sense I think maybe there should be two sets of rules.”
• Steve Denn, Porter Cup tournament director: “I can see arguments from both sides. Personally, I don’t use a long putter and am not in favor of it. But a lot of amateurs do, and I can see how something like this might deter them from participation in the game.
“As far as Porter Cup, I haven’t sat down with our board to discuss this, but in all likelihood I’d say we would go by whatever the USGA rule is.”
• Buford McCarty, executive secretary of the Southern Golf Association, which runs a number of tournaments, notably the Southern Amateur: “We haven’t had any discussion about this whatsoever thus far. We still want to see what effect it’s going to have. However, we have generally followed what the USGA has proposed, and I would venture we would continue to do so.
“Personally I don’t like the long putter. I feel somehow we have to retain the tradition of the game. But as an association, we’ll look at it closely and I’m sure we’ll poll players and get their feelings and feedback.”
• Jay Fox, executive director of the Arkansas State Golf Association: “If it comes out as a rule of golf from the USGA, I can’t imagine the ASGA going against it. If it’s a rule of golf, we’re going to follow it. I have no reason to believe our board would go against any rule from the USGA.”
• John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Association, which runs the Western Amateur: “As an association, we haven’t made any decision on anchoring. However, what we’ve done in the past is what the USGA does in its championships. So I would anticipate we would do the same thing concerning this.
“I think it’s going to be a big deal for the high-level amateur golfers because I see more and more young players, college players, doing it. The problems I see are, what happens to your so-called Sunday golfers? I think everyone needs to be thinking of how to get more people involved in the game and not possibly running some people off, which this rule could do.”
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Check out a graphic that breaks down each stroke and what can and can’t be used after Jan. 1, 2016.
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