Latest news with #AimPoint
Newsweek
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Collin Morikawa Refutes PGA Tour Pro's Claim of Players Cheating Driver Test
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Collin Morikawa has gotten into the habit of contradicting Lucas Glover, even without intending to do so. A few months ago, the two had a somewhat contentious exchange about the AimPoint technique, and now, they have opposing views once again, this time about alleged cheating during driver testing. Glover recently claimed that some players hide their real competition drivers when they're selected for testing. From the Muirfield Village Golf Club, home of this week's Memorial Tournament, Morikawa expressed himself to be completely in disagreement: "I don't think people do that. I think people joke about it, but I don't think people do it. And if they do, then, I mean, sure. Is it going to help? I don't think it's going to help," he said. "When these fail, we're on such fine margins that they give us this like green, yellow, red. Like we want our drivers to be in yellow, it's passing, but it's like, you want it to be fast, you don't want it to be slow." "But if it's close to failing or if it's failing and it's close to cracking, I mean, what are you gaining? You're not gaining anything. Guys aren't going to hit it 25 yards further. I don't think it's really changing much. It's just you got to have a line somewhere and that's where they have drawn the line." Collin Morikawa of the United States hits a tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 16, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Collin Morikawa of the United States hits a tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 16, 2025 in Charlotte, North used his SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio show to drop the shocking bombshell that not all players are following the rules regarding driver testing: "Most guys don't give them their real driver anyway," he said. "They hand over their backup so it won't fail testing. It's their way of protecting the driver they actually use." The issue came to the forefront two weeks ago during the PGA Championship, when Rory McIlroy's driver was famously declared non-conforming. Despite being one of the pre-tournament favorites, the Northern Irishman performed poorly in the event, which many attribute to his need to play with a different driver than usual. However, it's worth noting that Scottie Scheffler also had to use a backup driver because his competition one was declared non-conforming as well. Scheffler went on to win the event. Last February, amid a debate surrounding pace of play, Lucas Glover proposed a series of measures that included banning the AimPoint technique for reading greens. At the time, he said it's a technique that "takes forever" and has no real effect on improving putting. Morikawa, one of the top players who use AimPoint, responded to these comments by saying that long putters should also be banned. This controversial type of club is used by many players, including Glover. More Golf: Charlie Woods Goes Nuclear, Blows Past Miles Russell, Field for 1st Win
Irish Daily Star
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Star
PGA Tour star linked to controversies has clear feelings on golfer set to inherit billions
Lucas Glover has praised rival Maverick McNealy as arguably the most intelligent player on the PGA Tour – aside from himself. The 2009 US Open champion has faced criticism from peers and golf figures for his views, but McNealy appears to have the veteran's seal of approval. Glover's opinions have led to clashes with other pros and even the inventor of the AimPoint system after critiquing the method that's exploded in popularity in recent years. He has also criticized the PGA for reducing field sizes at certain tournaments, implying the Tour must "think we're stupid." However, when it comes to McNealy, Glover only has positive things to say. And it reflects well on a rising stud whose future looks assured irrespective of what he accomplishes on the golf course. "Maverick McNealy, probably," said Glover on the 5 Clubs podcast (via The Mirror US ) when asked whom he thinks is the most well-read player on the Tour. "He's an intelligent, understated young man, and his ideas and wisdom are starting to come out a little bit." This praise comes from a golfer who has made his share of headlines for his conflicts in recent times. Stanford-educated McNealy – who secured 29th place in his Masters debut earlier in April – can take comfort in knowing he has the respect of his fellow American. Glover, 45, matched his own Masters record when he ended up joint-20th at Augusta last year, but he failed to make the cut this year. He then tied for 61st at the RBC Heritage in his home state of South Carolina on Sunday. The Clemson University graduate stirred things up in early 2025 when he criticized AimPoint as a disruptor to golf. The technique involves players stepping on greens to sense any changes in tilt or direction. However, Glover doesn't believe it improve putting enough and should be banned, especially in an era where pace of play is such a hot topic. And he shared as much on his eponymous SiriusXM Radio show earlier this year. "Statistically, [AimPoint] hasn't helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour," he said at the time. "It's also kind of rude to be up near the hole, stomping around figuring out where the break is in your feet. It needs to be banned. It takes forever." AimPoint inventor Mark Sweeney told he found Glover's remarks to be "malicious" and called on him to retract them. Meanwhile, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa – who uses the AimPoint approach to his putting – humorously suggested long putters (like the ones Glover uses) should also be banned if that were the case. McNealy's father is understood to be worth in excess of $1billion (Image: Getty) McNealy, 29, recently climbed to 10th in the OWGR rankings for the first time in his career. But despite this, he won over fans with his self-awareness after labeling himself "the worst player" in the group. This was a refreshing display of perspective from a man who seems to have a secure future regardless of how his golf career unfolds. McNealy's father, Scott, is believed to have a personal net worth of approximately $1 billion, although his actual inheritance could be significantly larger. Scott was part of the tech boom in Silicon Valley in the 1980s and co-founded Sun Microsystems, which was sold for $7.4BN in 2010. He has since been involved in several start-ups and served as an advisor for companies like Wayin, 18Birdies, and software firm Redis Labs. After making his PGA Tour debut in the 2019/20 season, Korn Ferry Tour graduate McNealy Jr is now a fully established talent in his own right. He claimed his first Tour victory at the 134th attempt when he won the RSM Classic in November 2024. As a licensed pilot, he even flew himself to the Genesis Invitational in La Jolla, California , this past February. And if his recent trajectory is anything to go by, McNealy is set to reach even loftier heights in the years to come.
USA Today
09-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Masters Chairman Fred Ridley addresses pace of play. Could there be a shot clock for DCP?
Masters Chairman Fred Ridley addresses pace of play. Could there be a shot clock for DCP? AUGUSTA, Ga. – Expect the pace of play at the Masters to speed up – including at the Drive, Chip and Putt. Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley became the latest person to speak out against slow play at the professional level and said that next year's Drive, Chip & Putt, a competition held on the Sunday before the Masters for boys and girls age 7-15, likely will implement a time limitation to rectify slow play. 'Playing without undue delay, as the rules and the game's traditions dictate, is an essential skill of golf at all levels. Recognizing the challenges professionals face each week, I also believe pace of play is an important element of the examination of the world's best players,' Ridley said on Wednesday during his opening remarks of his annual Chairman's press conference ahead of the 89th Masters. 'Golf is a special game because it requires us to be considerate while also being competitive. Respecting other people's time, including, importantly, the fans who support the game, is a fundamental courtesy. Therefore, I want to encourage continued dialogue on this topic, especially at the professional levels which serve as the most visible representation of our sport.' This follows a growing trend among golf's professional tours to implement stiffer penalties against slow play. The LPGA Tour and PGA Tour both conceded they have a problem with pace of play and have introduced new policies designed to crack down on dawdlers with larger fines, and the PGA Tour has discussed the possibility of publishing who the slow players are at each event for the first time. Next week, the Korn Ferry Tour's Lecom Suncoast Classic will be the first tournament to experiment with removing what has essentially been a warning for a 'bad time' and will now apply a one-stroke penalty for a 'first offense.' 'I think maybe this might be a call to action that perhaps we haven't seen in the past,' Ridley later said. 'I've spoken about it a number of times. We will be dealing with that issue this week. I'm not going to tell you that I'm going to be happy with the results, but I think I am encouraged that the PGA Tour is doing some things, experimenting with some timing procedures that might be a little bit more aggressive than we've seen in the past.' AimPoint slows down Masters players One member of the media asked Ridley about his reaction to participants in the Drive, Chip and Putt who used the AimPoint system, a technique using one's feet to determine a numerical value for the slope of the green, to read the break of the putt. Several participants were taking approximately two minutes to line up putts on the 18th green of the famed course. 'I think that example really illustrates the problem, and unfortunately, these young people are looking to their heroes who play the game each week for a living as to how they're going to approach competitively playing the game,' Ridley said. 'As it relates to the Drive, Chip & Putt, I too noticed exactly what you noticed. It's interesting, but every phase of the competition has the same length chip and the same length putt, so it's really not necessary to pace that off. They know how many yards that is. But nevertheless, that's what they were doing. 'I think it's safe to assume that next year at the Drive, Chip & Putt, you will see some sort of time limitations placed on the competition.' Could that mean a shot clock? Ridley didn't specify. Only time will tell.
NBC Sports
27-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
A Lim Kim leads LPGA tournament in Singapore by a stroke over Charley Hull after the first round
The Golf Today crew reacts to A-lim Kim using AimPoint on a very short putt at the Honda LPGA Thailand and explain why changes must be made, despite Kim's usage not being the worst offense. SINGAPORE — A Lim Kim tamed swirling winds to shoot a 4-under 68 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the HSBC Women's World Championship on Thursday. Kim had five birdies but bogeyed the par-5 16th in tough windy conditions on the Tanjong course at Sentosa Golf Club. Charley Hull of England was in second place after a bogey-free 69, followed by four players tied for third with 70s, including China's Ruoning Yin and Australia's Minjee Lee. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the two highest-ranked players in the field, each shot 71. 'Today a lot of winds, and that's very hard for me, but everybody has the same situation,' Kim said. 'Tomorrow, I'm going to work harder.' Jin Young Ko, who will try to become the first three-time winner of the Singapore event, opened with a 73 and Brooke Henderson shot 74. Defending champion Hannah Green shot 75. Angel Yin, who won the LPGA Thailand event last week, had a 76. The Singapore field features nine of the top 10 players in the world ranking - and 13 of the top 15 - minus only top-ranked Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang. The final event of the LPGA's three-tournament early Asian Swing will be played next week at Hainan Island, China.
Fox News
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Paige Spiranac fires off golf hot take that will 'ruffle some feathers'
Golf influencer Paige Spiranac was among those who took AimPoint to task over the weekend and now has put together an idea to make the game more fun. Spiranac, who vowed her latest hot take would "ruffle some feathers," said in a video Monday that the tee boxes golfers start from should be determined by a player's handicap and "not personal preference." "The tee box that you play at a golf course should be decided by your handicap, not your personal preference," she said in a video posted to her Instagram. "If you show up to the golf course without a handicap, then you should play the forward tees. If you want to play the tips, then you have to be a sub-3 handicap. "I think this will improve pace of play and people will have a lot more fun. And it will also take away the decision on where they want to play or not play. It's decided by your handicap. And if you want to play forward, fine. But you can't play back until you improve your handicap." Spiranac called for the ban of the AimPoint method, which finds a putting line on a green, in the professional ranks. She later said her issue really was with the pace of play. "In all seriousness, there's nothing wrong with AimPoint," Spiranac wrote on X. "The problem is when it's not taught correctly which will slow down pace. "Also a player who is slow will always be slow with or without it. My issue is when they are so conditioned to use AimPoint that it's a habit they have to use even on tap ins. Trampling around the golf hole is not it." Spiranac is a former collegiate golfer who has found success on the influencer side of social media. She boasts more than 4 million followers on Instagram and more than 1 million on TikTok. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
