New Groove Rule - Much Ado About Nothing? Scores Say Yes
Much has been made about the new groove rule in effect this year. Just when the story seems to be dying down more fuel gets added to the fire (see Hunter Mahan's win last week). From discussing it with some players as well as reading the numerous articles that have been done on it, playing with the new conforming grooves is very different. Especially around the greens and out of the rough. But looking at the all of the winning scores for the tournaments so far this year, they point to either not making much of a difference, or more likely, that the players have adjusted to them well...and very quickly.
Take a look at the table below which compares the winning scores from 2009 to 2010 for the first eight tournaments of the year (not including WGC Accenture Match Play).
| Tournament | 2010 | 2009 |
| SBS Championship (formerly Mercedes-Benz) |
-22 (Geoff Ogilvy) | -24 (Geoff Ogilvy) |
| Sony Open | -15 (Ryan Palmer) | -15 (Zach Johnson) |
| Bob Hope Classic | -30 (Bill Haas) | -33 (Pat Perez) |
| Farmers Insurance Open (formerly Buick Invitational) |
-13 (Ben Crane) | -11 (Nick Watney) |
| Northern Trust Open | -16 (Steve Stricker) | -15 (Phil Mickelson) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | -16 (Dustin Johnson) | -15 (Dustin Johnson) |
| Mayakoba Classic | -15 (Cameron Beckman) | -13 (Mark Wilson) |
| Waste Management Open (formerly FBR Open) |
-16 (Hunter Mahan) | -14 (Kenny Perry) |
In some cases the winning scores were lower this year and in others slightly higher. So it pretty much appears to all even out in the wash. In fact, 2010 scores are -3 better than that of 2009 so far. Personally I just think the players have really adjusted well to playing with the new conforming grooves. After all... "These guys are good".
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