FORT WORTH, Texas – Corey Pavin said Tuesday he understands why anchored strokes will be deemed against the rules beginning in 2016, even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with them.
“I’m glad it wasn’t made across the board where they just banned them,” said Pavin, who is competing this week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational for the 30th time. “They have been around too long, well, forever, I guess – the last 30 years or 20 years. It’s a long time to have something legal and then make it illegal. So I think keeping the putter in play is a good thing. I’m not so sure that stopping anchoring is really that big of a deal as far as a change of a rule. I’m not sure if it was necessary. But that’s the way they went and that’s what the rules are now. Well, they are in 2016.”
Anchored-stroke debate: Articles, videos and photos
While fellow former Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman suggested that the USGA and R&A may forfeit some of their influence if other governing bodies don’t follow suit, Pavin maintained that he didn’t see such a scenario coming to fruition.
“I think the tours have always had local rules. This one would be more in the forefront is all. I know there is an embedded ball rule; we play local rules. Every tournament can have a rule that bypasses a rule in golf,” he said. “I don’t think it would take away from the USGA and R&A if the Tour came out and said, ‘We are not going to do that. We are going to have a local rule for that.’ I think it would be OK.”
