PGA Tour counters distance report, says golf 'more exciting than ever'

The PGA Tour doesn't necessarily agree with the Distance Insights Project released earlier this week by the USGA and R&A, which stated that the ever-increasing hitting distance in golf needs to end.

"At this point, we feel today's game is more exciting than ever for our fans and the integrity of the competitions are intact," a PGA Tour spokesman told Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard.

"We still see a diverse set of winners on the PGA Tour and our examination of the data reveals that the skills involved in winning a PGA Tour event remain largely unchanged. But we are carefully reviewing the findings in the Distance Insights Report and we will collaborate with all of our industry partners, including the USGA and the R&A, on the next steps in the process."

The Distance Insights Project asserted that players who hit the ball longer off the tee could require fewer skills than those who hit it shorter, depending on the design of the hole.

"The increased hitting distance with a driver may allow some holes to be effectively overpowered, rewarding an emphasis on sheer distance at the expense of accuracy and other longstanding skills," the report said.

The official statement released by the PGA Tour repeated that it will collaborate and work closely with the USGA and the R&A during the next steps of the process, but omitted any reference to distance being a problem in today's game.

The majority of the data used for the distance report was generated by the PGA Tour's ShotLink system and comparable data from the European Tour.

"Since 2013, these (driving) distances have increased at the rate of about 1 yard per year with the average of the top 20 increasing by 8 yards and the average for all players on both tours increasing by 7 yards," the report stated.