Cameron Young revealed at the PGA Championship that he has been unknowingly playing a Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot that would conform to proposed golf-ball testing changes intended to reduce driving distances, the report says.
The United States Golf Association and R&A hope the future testing changes will make balls travel shorter distances in professional tournaments starting in 2030, and the overall distance standard is expected to reduce elite driving distances by 15 yards, the report says. The USGA announced in March it might not implement the new testing changes until 2030; the governing bodies previously said the changes would apply to elite players in 2028 and all golfers in 2030, the report says.
Young, ranked No. 3 in the world, began using the Titleist ball after it was approved for play at last season’s Wyndham Championship, where he earned his first PGA Tour victory after seven runner-up finishes, the report says. This season he has won The Players and the Cadillac Championship and is listed among the favorites for the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday, which would be his first major title, the report says.
Young said he first hit the model during a ball test at a Titleist facility nearly two years ago and liked the flight, then tested it at Wyndham and put it into play, the report says. He added he was not aware until a few weeks ago that the ball would conform to the proposed overall distance standard and that conformity was never a consideration in his choice; he selected the ball to optimize his game, the report says.
The ball has not affected Young’s distance off the tee, per the report: he is sixth on tour in strokes gained: off the tee and 16th in average driving distance, and when he won The Players he hit a 375-yard drive on the 18th hole, the report says. The report also notes a broader debate among players about whether governing bodies should focus on course design rather than equipment, and mentions tree removals and restorations at courses including Aronimink Golf Club, per the report.
