During the PGA Championship, news broke that Rory McIlroy had brought in a noncompliant driver. It was a common test, and the driver’s head was most likely just worn down from use. After that, McIlroy struggled with a new driver, and Lucas Glover suggested that the test should be used across the board with all players attending. A reasonable request, it’s a simple test, and it was only done on PGA player clubs. Another thing came from Glover regarding the CT tests, he has accused multiple other tour players of cheating the system. This is a big accusation, so why is Glover saying this, and how could it be done?
Glover Accuses Others
Now, where is all this coming from? In short, this has to do with Glover’s previously mentioned grievances on how the test is done. It’s an effective test and manages to catch clubs pretty early into their wear and tear. However, it is only done on a few people, Glover has previously mentioned that it is only done on a few PGA players. This has led Glover to say that everyone is not on an equal playing field.
How The Test Is Cheated
According to Glover, it is pretty easy to cheat the test. Not the test itself, but the process of giving the testers their clubs. On his Sirius XM radio show, Glover did his best to explain what happens carefully.
“I’ve been trying to think all morning and all day how to say this without sounding like it’s going to sound,” Glover said. “But most guys don’t give them their real driver anyway. They give them their backup just in case. No, it’s true. And the testing is the way it is, why, and again, I know a lot of guys, they keep two drivers in their bag just in case. ‘Hey, oh, yeah – it’s this one. It’s this one right here. Yeah, do this, test this one.”
The former US Open Champion didn’t give any specific names, but if Glover is saying it like he may have seen it for himself. Either that, or it happens so often that actual tips are floating around the Tour to avoid it. Both of which are very concerning for the sport. This also brings back the idea of how many clubs slipped past the test just on the randomness factor. Now, there’s the knowledge of players just turning in the wrong club
How Should The Test Go In The Future
Lucas Glover has already made a good point about making the test universal, and now he makes a really good point about enforcement. The test should have stricter rules about enforcing this test on all the clubs in a player’s bag, backups included. The reigning PGA Championship victor, Scottie Scheffler, agrees that tests should have stricter enforcement. He added that the test should be weekly before every event. Scheffler’s reasoning that it’s a simple test, the Tour has all the resources necessary, and most importantly, “I mean there’s no reason why we shouldn’t”. It’s a simple test, it’s an easy test, it should be strictly enforced so that Glover doesn’t have to smack the Tour around like this.
Main Photo Credit: © Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
