EDDIE PEPPERELL
s I write this, Boris Johnson has just announced a further easing of the lockdown. It’s positive that things are returning to some sort of normality again, and with the weather mostly cooperating of late,
UK golfers have no doubt been enjoying themselves out on the fairways. So too have PGA Tour members, who’ve now contested a few tournaments since the circuit was given the green light to restart in early June.
I’ve watched bits and bobs and there have been a couple of storylines I’ve quite enjoyed following. It’s always great to watch the top guys like Rory, and while it’s somewhat strange on Sundays when putts are being holed and there are no fans to react and build the atmosphere, I don’t think it’s been too different on the whole.
I must admit I’ve found the whole beefed-up Bryson Dechambeau saga fairly entertaining. The transformation has been amazing to witness. He’s identified an area in which to gain a competitive advantage and worked really hard to get there, so I don’t have anything but respect for what he’s done. However, I know it’s prompted further debate about hitting distances and so forth, with Colin Montgomerie coming out in favour of a tournament ball for professionals.
As far as I see it, though, if you were to roll the ball back, he would gain an even bigger advantage. It’s less problematic going from hitting a wedge to an 8-iron than an 8-iron to a 6-iron. He’s still going
Ato be hitting the ball further than guys like me, and if it gets rolled back, I’ll just be hitting longer irons into greens. I think it’s much harder to get the ball closer with a 6-iron than it is with an 8-iron.
Either way, he’s going to be rewarded for what he’s done, so I don’t think he’ll be overly concerned. At this point, he is making some courses pretty redundant, which is probably quite alarming for the governing bodies – they might well have to do something about it. But in terms of an advantage over the rest of the field, I think he’s always going to have that now because of the work he’s put in. Having said that, it’s been quite an extreme transformation and as we all know things don’t go in straight lines, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens if he does encounter a dip in form.
Regardless, I’ve always felt Bryson is good for golf because of how different he is. He’s revolutionary and you should never criticise people like that. Of course, he’s had his moments with slow play and a couple of comments that probably haven’t painted him in a great light, but I don’t think he worries too much about that. He’s very much his own man and, as a fellow sportsman, I appreciate that. He’s unique and there aren’t many people willing to take the risk he’s taken. I’ve got nothing but admiration for him.
With regards my situation, I have to say that watching the PGA Tour hasn’t really given me the itch to get out there and compete again. It’ll be nice, because it will bring back something that’s been missing from my life of late, but I can’t say I’m really that excited about playing golf in front of nobody. It’ll be weird and probably a bit anti-climactic to a degree, but it is what it is. I think the tour is trying its very best and I think it’s important that the players show support. I’ll do that where I can, for sure, and I’ll also try and have fun where possible, but I’m looking forward to 2021 more than returning this season.
I haven’t really set any goals for the restart – I’m just looking forward to playing again and seeing if I’ve made any improvements during the hiatus. Nothing has really changed in terms of my ambitions. I’ll be further down the world rankings when I next tee it up, given that PGA Tour players are continuing to receive points, and I know this has caused consternation in some quarters. It’s a tricky one and you can’t please everyone. I don’t lose sleep over the fact I’ve dropped down a bit – there are many people who have far more legitimate grievances right now. But hopefully I can start moving up again during the UK Swing.
“If you were to roll the golf ball back, Bryson would gain an even bigger advantage”