AUGUSTA NATIONAL NOT OPPOSED TO NEW FLAGSTICK RULE

There is no doubt that Augusta National has a strong affinity for tradition, and they'd be the first to say that the rules are the rules. And so it would seem that players leaving the flagstick in this coming April at The Masters is not going to raise an official eyebrow.

In reply to a query about this new rule, Masters chairman Fred Ridley said, “We will, as we always do, collaborate with the governing bodies and talk about those rules, those local rules and conditions that will be implemented,” Ridley said. “We think it's important that there be some consistency in top championship golf, and so you can expect that the Masters tournament will look very much, if not the same, as what you're seeing in the major championships and professional tours.”

Good news indeed for Adam Scott, who indicated he is more than glad to take advantage of flagstick rule by leaving it in, even if it was a six-foot putt to win the Masters. “As you know, I'm not a person who cares how things look,” Scott said at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “I'm a 30-year-old man putting with a broomstick.”

So will the notion of a safety net remove the fear of Augusta National's slick downhill putts and result in more sunk putts or balls rolling off the green? We'll soon find out.