"Ping did not make a club that conformed that I felt comfortable with, and I wanted to practice and play with a club that I knew I was going to be able to use."
/Cameron Morfit reports on Bob Estes speaking out about John Daly and Dean Wilson using old Ping wedges:
Bob Estes called the move, "maybe a little bit against the spirit of the game since they passed that rule."
Bill Kwon suggests Wilson has been using the wedges a long time, which would seem to contradict what was reported earlier in the week:
So Wilson's Ping wedge is grandfathered in and he's happy about it. But not fellow golfer Bob Estes, who told a writer here doing a report on the new groove ruling for a Sports Illustrated article.
"I think even if I were a Ping player, I don't think I would play them because of the new rules we have in place. It's not against the rules, but maybe it's a little bit against the spirit of the game since they passed that rule. If somebody walked up to me and handed it to me right now, even if I loved them, I wouldn't play them."
Told what Estes said, Wilson replied: "Bob has not come up to me and said anything about it. But if he came and asked me, I'd tell him, what I told you. It's not a groove issue for me. It's a comfort issue. I'm not trying to gain advantage with the grooves. I think Bob is completely wrong. Maybe he should think about what he says."
Estes and Wilson were paired during Sunday's final round. Morfit has this follow-up with Wilson:
Wilson shot a final-round 70 and paused in the middle of signing autographs to defend himself.
"That's his opinion," Wilson said of Estes. "Ping did not make a club that conformed that I felt comfortable with, and I wanted to practice and play with a club that I knew I was going to be able to use. The sole of the club is what I like; it's not about the grooves. I'm shocked that it was such a big thing. Hopefully I'll have Ping make me an L-wedge with grooves that conform, and that'll be the end of it."