Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley believes it’s time for the talking to stop on the golf ball rollback debate.
Ridley gave his thoughts to the media ahead of The Masters, and first touched on the issue in his introduction, saying: “We have been consistent in our support of the governing bodies in their effort to regulate the distance elite players are hitting the golf ball.”
Initially, the plan was to introduce the rollback, which would see the distance of the longest hitters reduced by 13 to 15 yards, in 2028 for professional golf. However, that now looks like being pushed to 2030.
Ridley, who also pointed out that Augusta National’s support for the rollback hasn’t wavered, later came back to the subject, suggesting that it’s imperative it is addressed.
He said: “There’s always been quite a lot of agreement. My feeling on this subject is failure's not an option. I think we need to continue to work together to come to some agreement. Tough issues like this require compromise, and I think there has been some compromise to date.”
Ridley thinks for the good of the game, increasing driving distances can’t be the only consideration.
He added: “What we're trying to do is to protect the integrity of what makes golf so great. I think I tried to articulate it in my comments, and that's that it's more than about just hitting prodigious drives.
“I talked to Jackson Herrington, one of our young amateurs, and he told me that yesterday he hit it over the bunker on one and five, which is about a 325-yard carry, and one was into the wind.”
Augusta National is one course that, without drastic measures, would struggle to continue lengthening holes to accommodate increasing driving distances, as Ridley acknowledged.
He explained: “I've said that we can make changes, but there's not much we can do to make changes, number one, unless we tear down the Eisenhower Cabin, and we're not going to do that."
Regardless, he believes now is the time to act, with the debate having raged for years. He said: “We'll make changes when we can, but I think it's time to really address this issue. It's been talked about for a long time.”
Ridley touched on a number of other subjects frequently in the news, too. One was the issue of LIV Golf world ranking points.
The circuit was finally awarded them for the 2026 season, but only for the top 10 and ties of each tournament.
Ridley believes there are still some issues that need addressing for more ranking points to come its way, but he remains hopeful they can be fixed.
He said: “The issues involved in LIV getting or not getting ranking points has been public in Trevor Immelman's letter to LIV a while back. And several of the issues that were raised have been addressed, which resulted in LIV receiving limited points.
“They know what those issues are. Scott O'Neil has a copy of that letter, as I'm sure most of you do as well, and hopefully there will be efforts made to address those issues and allow them to receive more ranking points.”
Ridley also touched on pathways to the Masters, both in amateur and professional golf.
With regards to the amateur game, the issue has been highlighted this year with World No.1 Jackson Koivun's absence. Indeed, only one of the world's top 10, Ethan Fang, is among the six amateurs in the field.
In 2024, Augusta National introduced a new category which sees the winner of the NCAA Division I Men's Individual Championship gaining a place.
The 2025 winner, Michael LeSasso, forfeited his spot to turn pro and join LIV Golf, but Ridley doesn’t see it as a worrying trend.
He said: “We've lost a few players because of that, but really not that many.”
However, he didn’t rule out considering more categories for amateurs to qualify for The Masters, adding: “I'm not saying we're going to add any other categories, but we might because we're going to look at that.”
He had a similar message for pro pathways, in particular with regards to national opens. From 2026, select national opens provided spots to the winners, and Ridley wouldn’t rule out adding more.
He said: “I do think there might be other national opens that should be considered. Because we say over and over again that we review our criteria every year, we'll be looking at that next year and the coming years, and possibly we would do that.”
Ridley was also asked about how to open The Masters up to new audiences. One eyebrow-raising move came four years ago, when Augusta National opened its gates to golf influencers Dude Perfect, who filmed a YouTube video at the course with Bryson DeChambeau.
However, while Ridley revealed new approaches are always being considered, he admitted that may have been a step too far.
He said: “I do think we need to be looking at nontraditional ways of promoting the tournament, but more so promoting golf.
“A few years ago we had Dude Perfect playing frisbee at Amen Corner. In retrospect, I like those guys, but that may not have been the best idea. But it does point out that we try things every once in a while that are a little bit nontraditional.”
