Justin Thomas - Ball plan fights 'problem that doesn't exist'

Proposed rule changes that would limit how far players can drive the ball at elite golf tournaments would be detrimental to the sport, two-time major winner Justin Thomas said.

«You're trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. To me, it's just so bad for the game of golf,» Thomas told reporters Wednesday ahead of this week's Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Average driving distances are around 300 yards on the PGA Tour, but many players hit well in excess of that, meaning some courses are in danger of becoming obsolete.

The proposal by the Royal and Ancient and United States Golf Association would give competition organizers the option to require players to use only balls that meet maximum-distance criteria. Under the proposal, which would be effective starting in 2026, balls would have to not exceed 320 yards with a clubhead speed of 127mph.

«If you can swing 127mph, power to you,» Thomas said. «People are running faster, so, what, are they just going to make the length of a mile longer so that the fastest mile time doesn't change, or are they going to put the NBA hoop at 13 feet because people can jump higher now? Like, no. It's evolution.»

Former U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, one of the longest hitters in the sport, said it would be «the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf.»

«It's not about rolling golf balls back. It's about making golf courses more difficult,» DeChambeau said Tuesday ahead of a LIV Golf event in Tucson, Arizona. «I think it's the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do. Everybody wants to see people hit it farther.»

The governing bodies are taking feedback from manufacturers and others on the proposed