Golf balls rule proposal sparks controversy:

(CNN) The R&A and United States Golf Association (USGA) held a press conference Tuesday to announce their proposals to roll back the distances that golf balls can fly at elite tournaments.

In response, several of golf’s elite let fly.

Speaking ahead of the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, world No. 15 Sam Burns described the plans as “pretty silly,” with Justin Thomas’ self-described “rant” on the topic lasting over three minutes.

“You’re trying to create a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist … to me, it’s so bad for the game of golf,” Thomas told reporters.

The criticisms from Bryson DeChambeau were even more scathing. Renowned for his driving distances, the 2020 US Open champion described the proposals as “a great handicap” to other big-hitting players.

“If you could say I’m the complete opposite times 1,000, that’s what I would be,” DeChambeau told the LIV Golf website ahead of the Saudi-backed Tour’s event in Tucson, Arizona on Tuesday.

“I think it’s the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf. It’s not about rolling golf balls back — it’s about making golf courses more difficult.

“I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do. Everybody wants to see people hit it farther.

“That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do. I’m all about equality. I’m not about equity on this front.”

What are the proposals?

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