“Smh classic Rory” – Fans react to McIlroy backing the golf ball rollback amid heat from other players

Rory McIlroy defended the reported changes to be announced by the USGA and R&A regarding the rollback distance for golf balls for amateur and professional golfers. Golf Digest recently reported that the governing bodies are expected to announce a rollback technology in golf balls.

McIlroy took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to share his views on the decision. The Northern Irish golfer explained that the rollback changes will not "make any difference" in the game of average golfers. He posted that it would 'bring back certain skills' that were wiped out over the years.

McIlroy tweeted:

"I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball roll back. It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past 2 decades."

"The people who are upset about this decision shouldn’t be mad at the governing bodies, they should be mad at elite pros and club/ball manufacturers because they didn’t want bifurcation. The governing bodies presented us with that option earlier this year. Elite pros and ball manufacturers think bifurcation would negatively affect their bottom lines, when in reality, the game is already bifurcated."

Fans jumped to the comments section to express their views on the issue. One fan wrote:

"Smh classic Rory"

Some fans were still against the decision and said that it would impact the pace of play.

"Pace of play. You’re ignoring the impact this will likely have on pace of play. I agree, Bifurcation was the only answer for those that cared about or any understanding of the greater golfing amateur," commented another fan.

"All of this. But at least we'll all be playing the same ball (except for those two years)!" wrote another fan.

"So many people acting as if rollback happens in a vacuum, too. Course setups/distance can be shorter across the board allowing for quicker rounds; spin control is a skill that’s actually rewarded for the first time in a long time, etc. - so many great downstream effects," commented another user.

Here are some more fan reactions:

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USGA, R&A golf ball rollback decision received backlash from golfers

According to Golf Digest, the USGA and R&A regulatory bodies plan to put the new golf ball rollback ruling into effect by the end of next week. As a result, the ball's tested swing speed will change from the current standard of 120 mph to 125 mph while the distance will remain the same.

However, professional golfers like Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau vehemently opposed the decision. At first, Rory McIlroy disagreed with the decision as well, calling it a "huge waste of time and money." However, McIlroy eventually came around to support the regulating bodies.

R&A and USGA representatives opted not to comment on the reported decision.