MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Joey Savoie needed a playoff before picking up the win at the recent Grant Clements Memorial Tournament in New Zealand. The result highlighted what has been a successful Australian swing for the Golf Canada National Squad member, which included a top 10 finish at the Australian Master of the Amateurs and making it all the way to the quarterfinals in match play at the NSW Amateur Championship.

One of the biggest moves of the week was made outside the Top-10 as No. 11 Myles Creighton picked up 60 spots in the world rankings.

Andrew Harrison makes his top 20 debut in the Canadian rankings, moving past Golf Canada Development Squad member Johnny Travale to occupy the No. 20 spot. Harrison is coming off a third place finish at the ACU Spring Invitational earlier this month which kicked off the spring portion of the UBC golf schedule.

Biggest move: Carter Graf gained 556 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for second at the Latin American Junior Classics.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Michelle Ruiz made a pair of big moves among Top-10 ranked golfers, gaining 99 spots in the world rankings after finishing third at the Lady Moc Golf Classic. That result enabled her to makes the leap from No. 10 up to No. 6 in the Canadian rankings. It was the fourth consecutive top five finish for the senior at Nova Southern University, who currently ranks as the No. 3 player in NCAA Division II golf.

Golf Canada National Squad member Grace St-Germain picked up another two places in the world rankings after finishing 13th at the JU Amelia Island Collegiate. The Ottawa golfer has gained a total of 20 spots in the world rankings over the last two weeks.

There was some significant shuffling outside the Top-10. Julia Champion goes from No. 19 up to No. 16 after picking up 80 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 19th at the Rio Verde Invitational.

Kelsey Sear makes her Top 20 debut after gaining 53 places in the world rankings, taking over the No. 19 spot in the Canadian rankings while pushing Golf Canada Development Squad member Ellie Szeryk out of the Top 20.

Biggest Move: Kathy Lim gained 143 places in the world rankings after finishing tied for 40th at the Moon Golf Invitational.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Top ranked Adam Hadwin picked up a single place in the world rankings to move into the top 50 in the world. Despite taking the week off, Jhonattan Vegas’ slip after finishing tied for 72nd at The Honda Classic enabled Hadwin to move up to No. 49, just five spots away from his career best.

No. 2 Graham DeLaet picked up two places in the world rankings, temporarily putting ending a run that had seen him lose places in six of the first seven weeks. The former Presidents Cup player has been sidelined since undergoing stem-cell treatment on his problematic back. His return at this point is still uncertain.

Other notable results: No.3 Mackenzie Hughes finished tied for 59th at PGA Honda Classic; No. 6 Benjamin Silverman missed the cut at PGA Honda Classic;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson maintained her No. 14 world ranking after finishing in a tie for seventh at the Honda LPGA Thailand event. The result saw Henderson gain 4.07 world ranking points

Other Notable Results: No. 2 Alena Sharp finished tied for 56th at Honda LPGA Thailand;

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

St Andrews, Scotland- A significant growth opportunity exists for golf if it can attract more women, girls and families into playing the sport more often according to a new research report published by The R&A.

Many countries are seeing a fall in the number of both males and females playing golf and the research report analyses the factors which affect whole family participation in the sport, including women and girls, and details a number of useful practical recommendations for national golf bodies and golf clubs to help them encourage more women and girls to play.

The R&A commissioned the International Institute for Golf Education to carry out the research, which brings together the findings of existing academic and industry research with the individual views of a wide-ranging group of golf experts.

The key themes identified in the report, which was produced by Dr. John Fry and Philip Hall, include:

• The importance of establishing the optimum environment for family participation by being aware of the make-up of the modern family
• A direct link between equality in sports participation and wider measures of gender equality such as women in influential decision-making positions in golf
• That parents are the chief factor underpinning families’ likelihood to play golf and that their motivations for their children taking part include having fun, improving health and developing friendships
• The increasing desire for golf to provide opportunities for socialising and to be adaptable and flexible given the time and cost constraints placed on the modern family
• The need for the sport to evolve to meet the demands of contemporary society and for clubs to encourage memorable events for their customers, as that memory itself or the ‘experience’, is increasingly replacing the ‘product’ of playing golf

The research reflects The R&A’s continued drive to encourage more women, girls and families to play golf more regularly, working with its affiliates around the world to enhance golf’s appeal.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The research demonstrates there is a tremendous opportunity for golf to grow its participation numbers and generate more income if it can attract more women, girls and families into playing the sport.

“We know that more work needs to be done to achieve this outcome at a time when there are concerns about declining participation levels and this report provides useful actions and guidance for our affiliates and clubs that can lead to tangible, positive outcomes for golf.”

Dr John Fry, added, “The report brings together for the first time in one place the key academic and industry research articles conducted on family sports participation.

“The process involved searching scientific databases containing more than one million citations, peer-reviewed research papers and selecting the most appropriate evidence based studies that can help underpin strategies to increase participation in golf.

“The research is supplemented with case studies of best practice, analysis from a number of industry experts and offers a series of practical actions which golf clubs can adopt.”

The full report on ‘Women’s, Girls’ and Family Participation in Golf: An Overview of Existing Research (2018)’ can be viewed here. Click here for the R&A research summary

A video interview with Dr John Fry of the International Institute for Golf Education can be viewed below.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Matt Williams gained eight places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 25th at The All American.

Despite a four place drop in the world rankings, Lawren Rowe finished in a tie for fourth in his first tournament of 2018, the ACU Spring Invitational. It was his fifth straight top 10 result and the fourth-year player at the University of Victoria now finds himself as the No. 8 ranked player in Canada.

Blair Bursey, who took over the No. 9 ranking in Canada, made the biggest move among the Top-10, picking up 11 places in the world rankings.

Biggest move: Noah Steele from Kingston, Ont., a sophomore at Sam Houston State, gained 943 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 35th at the The All American.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Grace St-Germain made the biggest move among the Top-10, picking up 18 places in the world rankings. The Golf Canada National Team member moves up to No. 4 in Canadian rankings.

Biggest Move: Annie Yang of Vancouver gained 259 spots in the world ranking after finishing in a tie for 30th and helping BYU women’s golf to a second place team result at The Gold Rush.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Adam Hadwin had the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up seven places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for sixth at the Genesis Open. It was his second top 10 result of the PGA season and the result was worth 11.16 world ranking points. It was his second largest points-paying finish of the year and the fifth straight event that he has scored world ranking points.

Other notable results: No. 4 Nick Taylor finished tied 41st at PGA Genesis Open; No. 6 Benjamin Silverman finished tied 53rd at PGA Genesis Open;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Despite missing the cut at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, Canada’s top ranked pro Brooke Henderson maintained her No. 14 world ranking.

The news was not as good for No. 2 Alena Sharp, who slipped a spot in the world rankings after also missing the cut in Australia.

No. 5 Brittany Marchand, who has limited membership on the LPGA Tour this year, made the biggest move inside the Top-10, picking up five places in the world rankings.

Other Notable Results: No 4 Anne-Catherine Tanguay missed the cut at LPGA ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

USGA and The R&A Release Key Features
Golf Canada to adopt all features of the proposed new World Handicap System

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., and ST ANDREWS, Scotland: The R&A and the USGA announce key features of the proposed new World Handicap System (WHS), designed to provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability globally.

The idea for a new, unified system was conceived by the USGA and The R&A and developed following an extensive review of systems administered by six existing handicapping authorities – Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association (EGA), the South African Golf Association (SAGA), the Argentine Golf Association (AAG) and the United States Golf Association (USGA).

The new system will feature the following:

• Flexibility in formats of play, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes and ensuring a golfer’s handicap is more reflective of potential ability.
• A minimal number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap; a recommendation that the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap be 54 holes from any combination of 18-hole and 9-hole rounds, but with some discretion available for handicapping authorities or National Associations to set a different minimum within their own jurisdiction.
• A consistent handicap that is portable from course to course and country to country through worldwide use of the USGA Course and Slope Rating System, already successfully used in more than 80 countries.
• An average-based calculation of a handicap, taken from the best eight out of the last 20 scores and factoring in memory of previous demonstrated ability for better responsiveness and control.
• A calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions might have on a player’s performance each day.
• Daily handicap revisions, taking account of the course and weather conditions calculation.
• A limit of Net Double Bogey on the maximum hole score (for handicapping purposes only).
• A maximum handicap limit of 54.0, regardless of gender, to encourage more golfers to measure and track their performance to increase their enjoyment of the game.

Quantitative research was conducted in 15 countries around the world, through which 76 percent of the 52,000 respondents voiced their support for a World Handicap System, 22 percent were willing to consider its benefits, and only 2% were opposed. This was followed by a series of focus groups, in which more than 300 golf administrators and golfers from different regions around the world offered extensive feedback on the features of the proposed new system.

This feedback has helped shape the WHS, which has been developed by the USGA and The R&A with support from each handicapping authority as well as the Japan Golf Association and Golf Canada.

Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA, commented, “For some time, we’ve heard golfers say ‘I’m not good enough to have a handicap,” or ‘I don’t play enough to have a handicap.’ We want to make the right decisions now to encourage a more welcoming and social game. We’re excited to be taking another important step – along with modernizing Golf’s Rules – to provide a pathway into the sport, making golf easier to understand and more approachable and enjoyable for everyone to play.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are working with our partners and National Associations to make golf more modern, more accessible and more enjoyable as a sport and the new World Handicap System represents a huge opportunity in this regard.

“We want to make it more attractive to golfers to obtain a handicap and strip away some of the complexity and variation which can be off-putting for newcomers. Having a handicap, which is easier to understand and is truly portable around the world, can make golf much more enjoyable and is one of the unique selling points of our sport.”

Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada Chief Executive Officer added, “We are proud to have worked collaboratively with our partners at the R&A, USGA and other golf federations throughout the research process and development of a World Handicap System. We are fully committed to adopting the system and believe it will have a meaningful impact on the Canadian golf experience.”

The tenets of the new system focus on three main objectives: to encourage as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a handicap; to enable golfers of differing abilities, genders and nationalities to transport their handicap to any course globally and compete on a fair and equitable basis; and to indicate with sufficient accuracy the score a golfer is reasonably capable of achieving on any course around the world, playing under normal conditions.

Given worldwide alignment towards a single system, all parties will now embark on a two-year transition period targeting implementation in 2020. When adopted, the World Handicap System will be governed by the USGA and The R&A and administered locally by the six existing authorities and National Associations around the world, with safeguards included to ensure consistency as well as adaptability to differing golf cultures.

The six handicapping authorities represent approximately 15 million golfers in 80 countries who currently maintain a golf handicap.

The announcement is the latest step in a multi-year collaboration between The R&A and the USGA, handicap authorities and national and regional golf associations around the world to introduce one set of Rules for handicapping, aimed to support modernizing, growing and supporting accessibility of the sport.

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A and USGA’s efforts to implement a World Handicap System.

To provide feedback on the new World Handicap System, visit www.usga.org or www.RandA.org.

Learn more about the World Handicap System here.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Hugo Bernard begins his sixth consecutive week atop the Canadian Amateur Rankings, picking up four places in the world rankings. The Golf Canada National Team member now sits at a career-best No. 59 in the world.

Fellow National Team member Josh Whalen made the biggest move among the Top 10, gaining five places in the world rankings.

Biggest move: Andrew Nagel from Elmvale, Ont.gained 527 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 24th at the Titan Winter Invitational.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Top ranked Maddie Szeryk slipped out of the Top 30 in the world rankings for the first time in six weeks despite finishing tied for 15th in her first tournament since the winter break, the Florida State Match-Up. It was the first time in six events that the Golf Canada National Team member has failed to record a top-10 result this year.

Golf Canada National Development Squad member Celeste Dao made the biggest move among the Top-10, gaining 11 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 12th at the AJGA Buick Shanshan Feng Girls Invitational.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Roger Sloan made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up six places in the world ranking after finishing in a tie for 16th at the Web.com Tour Club Colombia Championship. The result was worth 1.22 world ranking points and marked his second consecutive points-paying finish after missing the cut in each of his first two Web.com Tour starts. Over the course of the last two weeks, Sloan has gained 111 spots in the world rankings.

Adam Svensson gained three places in the world rankings despite having to withdraw from the Web.com Tour event in Bogota.

Other notable results: No. 3 Mackenzie Hughes, No. 4 Nick Taylor, No. 6 Benjamin Silverman No. 7 David Hearn all missed the cut at PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; No. 5 Austin Connelly finished 80th at the European Tour ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Only top ranked Brooke Henderson and No. 5 Brittany Marchand were able to maintain their standing in the world rankings as everyone else in the Top 10 slipped back.

Henderson, No. 2 Alena Sharp and No. 4 Anne-Catherine Tanguay are all in the field for the LPGA’s ISPS Handa Woman’s Australian Open, which starts Valentines Day.

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

The PGA of America announced recently the formation of an international event, the Women’s PGA Cup – a first-of-its-kind team competition for Women PGA members from around the world.

The PGA of Canada is pleased to be taking part in this landmark event.

The inaugural competition will be played October 21-26, 2019 in the United States.

The Women’s PGA Cup will be a 54-hole stroke play event with each team’s lowest three scores being counted after each round. The winning country will be the team with the lowest 54-hole aggregate total.

Each national team will be composed of five players and one captain, who also may be a playing or non-playing captain at the option of the respective country.

The Women’s PGA Cup does not include a purse; rather, each team will vie for bragging rights and the honour of winning the Cup, and bask in the pride that comes with representing one’s country in a distinct and unique international competition.

Those eligible to represent their country in the Women’s PGA Cup must be members in good standing with their respective Professional Golfers Association (PGA). They must also be active in the game, be it as a teacher, coach or working as club professional/assistant. Tour professionals who primarily compete for a living are not eligible to participate.

The five members of the inaugural PGA of Canada team will be determined based on the following:

• Performance of eligible finishers at the 2018 and 2019 DATA PGA Women’s Championship

The following countries are tentatively committed to play in the 2019 Women’s PGA Cup: Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, Sweden and the United States.

More information about the Women’s PGA Cup will be made available over the coming months.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Charles Corner made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 36 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for third at the Arizona Intercollegiate. It was the first top-10 result of the year for the senior at UTEP who never fell out of the top five on the leaderboard at the event.

No. 1 Hugo Bernard continues to improve upon his career-best world ranking, climbing nine spots up to No. 63 in the world.

Fellow Golf Canada National Team member Joey Savoie climbed three places following his performance at the NSW Amateur. After finishing 12th in the stroke play portion of the event, Savoie advanced to the quarter-finals in match play before falling to one of the eventual finalists in the tournament.

Biggest move: Jared Nicolls gained 308 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 84th at the Arizona Intercollegiate. Nicolls is a junior at South Dakota State who hails from Ponoka, Alberta.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

No significant changes in the Top-10 as the women’s collegiate golf season gets back into full swing following the winter break.

Biggest Move: Madison Easterbrook gained six places in the world rankings. The Burlington, Ont.,  freshman at Florida Gulf Coast University posted a tie for 38th in her first tournament at the USF Intercollegiate just prior to the winter break.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Roger Sloan made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 105 spots in the world rankings after his fourth place finish at the Web.com Tour Panama Championship. It was his first points-paying result of the year, worth 4.20 world ranking points. The result also enabled Sloan to move up to No. 9 in the Canadian rankings.

Adam Svensson, coming off his first career Web.com Tour victory, jumped 21 places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for seventh at the Web.com Tour Panama Championship. It’s his second straight top 10 result and was worth 2.21 world ranking points. He’s gained 338 spots in the last two weeks to reach a career-best 358 in the world rankings..

Benjamin Silverman picked up 11 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 48th at the PGA’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. The result was worth 1.53 world ranking points, his first points paying result since the new year.

Outside the Top 10, Ryan Yip gained 254 spots in the world rankings after finished in a tie for fifth at the Web.com Tour Panama Championship. It’s his second straight top 10 result on the development tour and was worth 3.08 world ranking points. Yip also moved up four spots in the Canadian rankings, up to No. 12.

Other notable results: No. 1 Adam Hadwin finished tied 43rd at PGA Waste Management Phoenix Open; No. 3 Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut at PGA Waste Management Phoenix Open; No. 4 Nick Taylor finished tied 52nd at PGA Waste Management Phoenix Open; No. 5 Austin Connelly finished tied 62nd at Asian Tour/European Tour Maybank Championship; No. 10 Richard T Lee missed the cut at Asian Tour/European Tour Maybank Championship;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Alena Sharp, the No. 2 ranked player in Canada, gained four places in the world rankings and moved to No. 99 in the world. It marks the first time she’s been back inside the Top 100 since last October.

Of note, both Kyla Inaba and Lorie Kane have both dropped off the Rolex World Rankings list. Both missed the cut at the Oates Vic Open on the Australian LPGA Tour.

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

Spanish Bay, CA — Today, RBC announced its newest brand ambassador – Dustin Johnson. Ranked #1 in the world and sitting 5^th in all-time PGA TOUR Career earnings, Johnson is the latest high profile golfer to join Team RBC, including players Matt Kuchar, Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker and Brooke Henderson.

Johnson has had an incredible career to-date, including 17 tournament wins on the PGA TOUR, and being named 2016 PGA Player of the Year. He is also only the third player in PGA TOUR history to win a title in all of his 11 seasons since his debut.

Team RBC was established in 2009 and is now comprised of 14 elite male and female golfers who embody the pinnacle of golf performance. Along with wearing the RBC branding on his apparel and golf bag, Johnson and his RBC teammates support many of the bank’s marketing initiatives and client experiences.

In addition to being the title sponsor of the RBC Heritage and RBC Canadian Open, RBC is also proud to be the Official Banking and Financial Services partner for all Team RBC ambassadors.

Proud to be joining @RBC! pic.twitter.com/tgWBn29Yal

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) February 7, 2018

Quotes:

“My goal is to be the best in the game and win as many championships as possible, and I’m grateful for RBC’s support and belief in me. I have enjoyed getting to know them better over the past few years through playing in the RBC Canadian Open. Now that my relationship with RBC has expanded to brand ambassador, I can’t wait to achieve more milestones together.”

– Dustin Johnson, PGA TOUR Golfer

“RBC is a longstanding supporter of golf and we celebrate the traditions and passion of the game. We’re proud to welcome Dustin to Team RBC as our newest ambassador. He’s an exciting player that has thrilled fans around the world and a great asset to the RBC brand.”

– Dave McKay, President and CEO, RBC

“Dustin’s unique and natural talent on the course, combined with his high caliber of play, makes him an ideal Team RBC ambassador. He shares our commitment to hard work, strength and determination – and we’re happy to have him on our team.”

– Mary DePaoli, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC

Get tickets for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.

“Bifurcation” is word we’re hearing more and more in the world of golf. It means to divide into two parts. But don’t let that simple definition fool you. It’s an increasingly controversial concept that strikes at the heart of the game as we know it.

The first area of the current bifurcation debate relates to the Rules of Golf. Should there be one set of guidelines for recreational golfers and another for elite amateurs and professionals?

The second bone of contention, which has set off near panic among many of my colleagues in the golf media and some golf administrators, is this: Are golf courses too short? Do we need to stretch them to 8,000 yards? Do we need to rein in the ever-advancing ball and club technology?

No. And no.

Wally Uihlein, the recently retired CEO of Acushnet Co., makers of Titleist clubs and balls, is the standard bearer for the unification movement.

Back in 2013, he addressed the idea of two sets of Rules in a blog wherein he refutes the three arguments most popular among bifurcation advocates:

Today’s professional game does not mirror today’s amateur game; Golf participation has matured and the adoption of different sets of rules will allow the game to renew its participation growth; Golfers just want to have fun—They do not play by the rules and the formalization of multiple sets of rules is just sanctioning what is already reality.

In summary, his response was that amateurs enjoy trying to emulate their professional heroes, no matter what the disparity in ability; participation fluctuations in the game is a demographic issue, not a rules issue and, “if golfers don’t play by the one set of rules that exist today, why are two sets of rules required?”

On the second prong of the bifurcation tempest—the impact of technology—Uihlein spoke out last November, this time in response to comments that technology is making the game more expensive for everyone by requiring courses to be longer and longer to withstand the onslaught on par. In a letter published in the Wall Street Journal , he asked, “Is there any evidence to support this canard … the trickle-down cost argument? Where is the evidence to support the argument that golf course operating costs nationwide are being escalated due to advances in equipment technology?”

While there is no denying that Tour pros are hitting it farther every year, albeit incrementally, this has not caused a crisis among recreational golfers. Who among us has ever complained, “Dammit! I’m hitting the ball too far these days!”

Having said that, that specious argument spiked when Dustin Johnson hit a 433-yard drive to within inches of the cup on a par-4 in Hawaii a couple of weeks back. (Even though Johnson averages 333 yards per measured drive, it should be noted that there was a 30-mile-an-hour tailwind on the downhill hole with a firm, fast fairway.)

But even the world’s No.1-ranked player downplayed this perceived crisis. “It’s not like we’re dominating golf courses,” he said. “I don’t really understand what all the debate is about because it doesn’t matter how far it goes, it’s about getting it into the hole.”

While technology is important, many other factors such as fitness and course conditions impact how far top players are hitting it. Despite that reality, some at golf’s highest levels think a standardized reduced-distance ball should be required for all PGA TOUR events, arguing that some classic courses have been made “obsolete” by today’s longer players. While this would indeed protect the artificial concept of “par,” it would diminish greatly the entertainment value of professional golf. Who didn’t get a thrill out of DJ’s 433-yard poke?

Adam Helmer is Golf Canada’s Director of Rules, Competitions and Amateur Status. His view is that bifurcation “is not the answer at this point in time; golf must continue to evaluate trends and to evolve with advances in our sport.” For example, he points out that as of Jan. 1, 2019, sweeping changes will be made to the Rules of Golf. As well, distance-measuring devices are legal for even the highest echelon of amateur golf and are not allowed on most of the professional tours. And tournament committees are allowed to set specific Conditions of Competition and make local rules to make the competition fair.

Fewer than 0.1 per cent of the estimated 61 million golfers around the world are professionals. That they are the catalyst for this bifurcation brouhaha is, in my opinion, a classic case of a very small tail wagging a very big dog.

Click here to learn more about the upcoming changes to the Rules of golf.