"Why isn't the PGA Tour and Tim Finchem stepping to the plate and using our own rules?"

Tom Pernice livens up the lagging groove change discussion just in time for the best of British golf writing to give Peter Dawson a free pass when they lob Nerfballs at the Open Championship's R&A press conference!

Doug Ferguson reports on this and other Pernice venting:

"Why isn't the PGA Tour and Tim Finchem stepping to the plate and using our own rules?" Pernice said. "Tim's been against it all the time. We should have our own rules, and this way we could use V-grooves and everybody can have the same set, and driving the ball in the fairway might make a difference."

Or, make firm greens mean something? Well, we'll quibble over that later. You go Tom!

Update on 2008-07-05 03:06 by Geoff

Here I thought Tom pulled Doug aside to share these rants and give Doug exclusive No. 495 for the year, but no, Pernice drops them in his post round press conference.

Special GWAA Rally Starter award goes to whoever teed Tom up...

Q. You've been on the TOUR policy board for a few years, and you've had some strong opinions about various issues, drug testing being one of them. Do you feel that's one of your roles on the TOUR, to be a guy who expresses himself on some of these subjects that maybe are not that easy to have a strong opinion on?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I think I'm just passionate about the game. I love the game and I love the TOUR. I think I don't want anything to not be as good as it can be for the game of golf and for the TOUR. I mean, yeah, I think there's several things that Commissioner Finchem has done a great job on, and I think there's been several things that he's very weak on.

I'm disappointed within the decision of the USGA and the R&A with the groove issue, for them to delay that. If they ever want to make driving part of the game, they need to go back to V-grooves.

But again, why isn't the PGA TOUR and Tim Finchem stepping to the plate and using our own rules? Tim's been against it all the time. We should have our own rules, and this way we could use V-grooves and everybody can have the same set, and driving the ball in the fairway might make a difference.