Tiger Woods Reiterates Long-Standing View On Golf-Ball-Rollback Plans

Tiger Woods has acknowledged something had to be done about the ever-increasing distance golf balls are travelling but suggested the current reported plans would not have been his preferred choice of method.

According to a recent story by Golf Digest, the USGA and R&A are set to officially announce universal golf-ball-rollback plans in the coming days as they fight to temper the game's rising reliance and lean towards power hitting.

The idea, said to be starting in 2028 for pros and then 2030 for amateurs too, is to take a small percentage of distance the ball can travel off each club to ensure golf courses - with many having already been lengthened - remain a relative test for those playing.

Woods insisted golf's governing bodies should have been worried about length a long time ago and said there has been talk about rolling the ball back since he turned professional in 1996.

Although his response to the plans was not as obviously emotional as Rory McIlroy's extraordinary rant on social media, Woods did suggest the bifurcation of the golf ball would have been the smarter move.

Woods said: "This has been, I guess, the talk ever since I've been out on Tour. And then to finally see it come to this point where I think both governing bodies who control the rules around the world are going to come to a collaborative understanding of how far - we just don't have enough property anymore.

"So I think that understanding that yeah, we've been hammering the ball needs to slow down, but it has kept speeding up my entire career, and here we are.

"As I told you guys, I've always been for bifurcation. I've always said that. Just like wood bats and metal bats."

A whole host of notable names have been sharing their thoughts on golf's latest controversy via social media, but Woods - who has been featuring at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on his first start back - insists he has been fully in the zone and not able to pick the brains of his fellow Tour pros just yet.

The 15-time Major champion said: "Honestly, I haven't talked to any other player yet. I'm curious to see what the feedback is. I know the PGA Tour had their stance on it, but the ruling bodies are, they're the ruling bodies."