The USGA finally responded to Phil’s scathing comments about the new grooves policy.

Last week Phil stirred up controversy when he decided to play with an old Ping Eye-2 lob wedge, which doesn’t conform with the new groove regulations, but is within the rules because of a loophole. He continued his crusade at his press conference on Wednesday, accusing the USGA of “killing” the game and manufacturers. But “out of respect” for the other players, he decided not to use the Ping wedge at this week’s tournament, confessing his “point has been made.”

He sure did.

Dick Rugge, the senior technical director of the USGA, said the system the organization uses to set equipment standards is meant to protect the game. He told Gary Smits:

The USGA does a lot to improve the game. As far as someone accusing us of killing the sport, I’m not going to get into a response to Phil Mickelson on that. He’s entitled to his own opinion.

Phil’s “opinion” is full of contradictions. To recap some of his previous comments, he wailed:

I’m very upset with the way the rule came about, the way one man essentially can approve or not approve a golf club based on his own personal decision regardless of what the rule says.

Rugge’s response:

…[T]he process is hardly “one man.”

I have a staff of 16 people, including six engineers with Ph.D.s. We get about 2,500 clubs submitted to us every year, and we approve about 80 percent of them as conforming. And the 20 percent have an appeal process. They can go to the USGA executive committee, so there’s 15 more people involved. We can’t please everyone, but I think we do the best we can.

Meanwhile, as Geoff Shackelford pointed out earlier this week, Phil admitted he stands to benefit from the groove change, but he refused to elaborate on his strong opposition to the USGA’s intent to bring back emphasis on skill.

Really, it seems that Phil launched his crusade to lash out at the USGA. He’s angry because a set of Callaway irons submitted to the USGA for approval were non-conforming. And it’s in his best interest to please his sponsor, which has always been his forte. Let’s be real — he’s not looking out for the other players as he so claims.

As for those who opt to use the Ping Eye-2 wedges, Rugge said, “They’re conforming clubs. I have no problem with a player who uses them.” But if the USGA’s intent is to protect the spirit of the game, it should have considered the repercussions of having such a contentious loophole — particularly one that allows players to arguably violate the honor and integrity the USGA is meant to uphold.

While the implementation of the policy could have been better, Phil has handled the situation poorly, acting like a spoiled child and launching a personal vendetta against the USGA because his sponsor’s clubs were rejected. But he can keep bitching about how it’s so terrible for his peers and the game. Nice work, FIGJAM.

[Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe]