For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Valspar gets underway.

1. Who is this MLR for, exactly?

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Where do the governing bodies envision the line being drawn between who implements this MLR, if enacted starting in 2026, and who doesn’t?”

• “I think it’s safe to say we wouldn’t be suggesting this if we didn’t think this would be something we would utilize,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said Tuesday.

• …”But does that mean every championship that the USGA or R&A conducts? According to the USGA, if the MLR is implemented, it would only adopt the new golf ball for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur, at least right away.”

• “Beyond that, it is premature to determine, as we don’t have a fully written and finalized MLR for the game to react to, or our championship committee,” a USGA spokesperson told GolfChannel.com. “The MLR, by its very nature, gives the game the option to adopt.”

2. JT on rollback

Iain Carter for BBC…”Justin Thomas has heavily criticized plans by the R&A and United States Golf Association to restrict how far golf balls fly at future elite tournaments.”

• …”You’re trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Thomas. “To me, it’s just so bad for the game of golf.”

• “Recreational amateur golf would not be covered by the “Model Local Rule” that the R&A and USGA are recommending for elite golf use. Both organisations say they plan to implement the move at their majors – the Open and US Open in 2026.”

• “The great thing to me is the fact that you can play the exact same golf ball that I play,” Thomas added. “That’s cool. For an every day amateur golfer, it’s very unique that we are able to play the exact same equipment.”

3. Sam Burns has his say

Colby Powell for Golf Channel…”Burns: “Personally, I think it’s pretty silly. I would say if you look at the last few years of golf, I think the game has grown tremendously. At the end of the day, no matter what it is, we’re an entertainment sport and I think, I don’t think people necessarily want to come out here and watch guys hit it shorter. They enjoy watching guys go out there and hit it 350 yards. I don’t see what the problem is with that. I think that’s a skill and I don’t really agree with trying to take that away.”

4. Bryson blasts rollback

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Another big name in golf that was unhappy with the possible rule change was former U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau is most known for his ability to hit the golf ball a ridiculously long way, so it’s not all that surprising that he’d be against a rule that would prevent the golf ball from going as far as it possibly could.”

• “Bryson famously won the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot by six shots and did so by overpowering the golf course.”

• “In an interview with Mike McAllister of LIV Golf, DeChambeau ripped the rules proposal, calling it “the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf.””

• “If you could say I’m the complete opposite times 1,000, that’s what I would be,” the 29-year-old said.

• “It’s a great handicap for us guys that have worked really hard to learn how to hit it farther,” he said. “Look, if they do it in a way where it only affects the top end, I see the rationale. But I think it’s 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.”

• “He added: “I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do. Everybody wants to see people hit it farther. That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do.”

• “But again, it creates more conversation in a positive way than cutting it back and trying to make everybody equal. I’m all about equality. I’m not about equity on this front.”

5. Rickie to join TGL

Via ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Rickie Fowler is set to become the latest golfer to join TGL, the tech-infused golf league being fronted by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.”

• “Fowler, who is ranked 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking, becomes the 12th player to commit to joining the league, which is scheduled to begin play in 2024.”

• “TGL has now signed 12 of the 18 players who will compete on six three-man teams of PGA Tour players in match play on a virtual course that will include a short-game complex for chipping and putting.”

6. Chamblee’s take

Culled from a Twitter thread by the Golf Channel commentator…

• “It seems to me that this proposal by the USGA and R&A derives from what a very small number of people, namely the executive committees of the USGA and R&A, think about how a very small number of players, namely the longest hitters on the men’s tour, play a very few number of holes, namely a few at The Old Course and Augusta National and perhaps the 10th at Riviera and they are willing to disrupt the entire golf world for their interpretation of how the game is broken and how it should be fixed, with no convincing evidence for their position.”

• “The proposed new testing parameters for the ball will likely lead to a reduction in distance, not of 14-15, but likely 20-25 yrds when one considers that no player on tour in ‘22 averaged 127mph clubhead speed and no player on tour averaged as little as 2200 rpm’s of spin and the proposed launch angle of 11 degrees is higher than the 2022 tour average. As for the proposed bifurcation, it is essentially the USGA and R&A executive committees proclaiming that they don’t like how the professional game is being played. It is no small number of people who would argue that it is the PGA Tour’s call, and not the governing bodies, as to how the professional game is played. I don’t imagine Roger Goodell would allow an outside agency to dictate how he runs his business. And by playing the same equipment are spectators not better able to judge the athleticism of great players more accurately and be appropriately awed by the difference and isn’t that accurate depiction of the disparity between what they can do and the pros can do, part of the appeal of watching the best play?”

• …”bifurcation of the ball means bifurcation of the equipment because these new balls will have unique characteristics that will require new golf clubs to accommodate and maximize the totally new launch conditions.“

7. McGinley’s perspective

8. Phil: LIV could move to 72 holes in future

Paul Higham for Golf Monthly..”Phil Mickelson says the agile and fluid nature of LIV Golf means that they would consider shifting to a traditional 72-hole format if it helped secure World Ranking points.”

• “When we see something that can be better, we have the fluidity to make the change and make it better,” said Mickelson.”

• “I mean, there’s a lot of specifics that we could look at and say, gosh, do we need to go to 72 holes to get World Ranking points or what do we need to do to be the best product but really it comes down to we provide the best product to fans, to sponsors.”

• “Those are things we can talk about and again we have the fluidity to make changes if it’s in the best interests of the players or the league or for the fans or for the sponsors. But I don’t feel that that’s a pressing need right now, otherwise it would have been changed.”

9. Photos from Valspar

• Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event.