Ernie Els urges acceptance of anchored putting ban

ERNIE Els, who is unlikely to warm up for his Open Championship defence at Muirfield by teeing up in this year’s Scottish Open, has urged the PGA Tour to “play ball” over anchored strokes being banned.

The South African is ready to take the decision by the R&A and USGA on the chin despite admitting he probably wouldn’t have won the world’s oldest major for a second time last summer if he hadn’t been using a belly putter.

But, within hours of Tuesday’s confirmation by the game’s two rules-makers that the ban will come into force as planned on 1 January 2016, a legal challenge appeared on the horizon.

Els’ fellow Springbok, Tim Clark, who has used a long putter since he was at college and won the Players’ Championship in 2010 with one in his bag, revealed he is among “a fair number” of players now consulting lawyers.

“We do have legal counsel,” said ex-Scottish Open champion Clark, who first turned to a long putter because of a congenital problem with his arms, which means he can’t turn his wrists to make his palms face forwards. “We’ll explore options. We’re not going to just roll over and accept this.”

That seems to suggest the PGA Tour, which opposed the ban, could be encouraged by some members of the US circuit to dig its heels in but, although he sympathises with players like Clark, Els is hoping that doesn’t happen.

“I felt the ban was going to happen and I think you have to go with the ruling bodies as they are looking out for the best interests of the game in the long run,” said the four-times major winner. “The argument forever will be ‘they could have done it 30 years ago so why now?’.

“But it is what it is and we are where we are. The ruling bodies have made their decision and I think we are going to have to play ball. As a golfing body, I think the PGA Tour will play ball, too, though this is a huge issue.

“I’ve been using my belly putter for just over a year and I don’t think I would have won a major without it. I was in such a state on the greens and I don’t think I could have won The Open with a shorter putter. I’m in a much better place now, though, and feel I can get back into the shorter putter in the near future.

“But some players have used it [a long putter] for 20 years and a lot of these guys play the US Tour. This is a guy’s livelihood you’re talking about, a guy who has had problems on the greens, a guy who is so used to playing with the long putter and you’re taking that away from him.”

Admitting he could end up using a modified putter with “a lot of weight in the handle”, Els said he has already been practising with a shorter one but would continue using his current model until “after the major season this year”.

That includes a return to Muirfield, where Els claimed the Claret Jug for the first time 11 years ago. A planned visit to East Lothian on Tuesday had to be postponed at the last minute but Els, who now lives in America, is also coming back across the Atlantic for next month’s BMW International in Germany and will re-arrange a trip to Scotland then.

As things stand, however, he won’t be at Castle Stuart for the Scottish Open the week before the season’s third major. “I haven’t committed yet as my schedule has been quite busy,” said Els when asked about an event he’s played at the Inverness venue for the last two years. “We’ll see, but I’d love to go as my family likes it up there.”