Padraig Harrington seemed to put at least an anecdotal end to the debate over whether 20-year-old grooves can really be that much better than the new stuff, telling players at Tuesday’s meeting in Los Angeles that after testing old and new he gets about 11 percent more spin with the old Ping Eye 2 wedges and 40 percent more from the first cut of rough.
“It’s essentially 200 rpms more out of the light rough and the heavy rough with short and long shots,” Harrington said. “No difference to my Wilson wedge off the fairway, none at all. It comes out the exact same.”
Another curious element of Groovegate involves the unfiltered man at the heart of the storm. Scott McCarron, whose comments regarding Phil Mickelson’s use of the wedges last week ignited the controversy, is one of four members of the Player Advisory Council running to fill two co-chair positions.
This year’s co-chairs join the Policy Board in 2011 which means one of the circuit’s most controversial players will also be one of its most influential. The co-chairs are expected to be announced next week at Pebble Beach.
