PGA TOUR: Several Players Fail Equipment Test At Safeway Open

After a year of dealing with players and their hesitance to accept the new golf rule changes that took effect, there’s now a new change the USGA has made that might get some additional blowback. And that change revolves around testing of equipment.

Earlier in 2019, the USGA started a trial of testing specific clubs to see if they were conforming and appropriate for play in major tournaments. When the first test went down this summer, it was reported that many players had drivers that failed their characteristic time tests, prompting the USGA to implement random testing all next season, starting last month.

According to some of NBC and Golf Channel’s sources, some of that random driver testing was conducted at the Safeway Open on Monday and Tuesday before the event kicked off. While there is no official record of the results, it’s rumored that multiple players had their drivers fail the CT tests and they, along with their brand manufacturers, were notified of the results.

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This past season, the biggest news regarding these random tests came at The Open Championship when it was found that Xander Schauffele’s driver became non-conforming because of a creep in the head of the driver. These creeps happen over prolonged use of the club and can stress how much tolerance it can handle.

All players received a memo about the testing earlier this month, which stated ““While this testing program will test the clubs in use by players on the PGA Tour out of necessity, it is important to note that the focus of the program is not on the individual player but rather on ensuring conformity level of each club model and type throughout the season. We will seek to spread the testing throughout all regular Tour members over the course of a season.”

There has yet to be a major issue with this testing among players but if it starts to become more frequent and even affect some pros, it could become a powder keg quickly. With the new season starting up and major events just a few months away, this will definitely be something to keep an eye on in the coming months.

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