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TSN Senior Reporter

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At his press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Rory McIlroy was ready to answer a question that no one asked him.

It was on Tuesday’s report released by the United States Golf Association and the R&A proposing changes to the rules regarding the distance the golf ball is traveling and, as he is wont to do when he is passionate about a subject, McIlroy didn’t hold back.

"I think the authorities, the R&A and USGA, are looking at the game through such a tiny little lens that what they're trying to do is change something that pertains to 0.1 per cent of the golfing community," he stated. "Ninety-nine point-nine per cent of the people who play this game play for enjoyment, for entertainment. They don't need to be told what ball or clubs to use."

The report from the governing bodies suggests limitations on the length of drivers and changing the manner in which clubs and balls are measured to perhaps limit distance. McIlroy was clearly heated on the topic, venting his opposition to the contents of the report and urging for more help for grassroots golf.

"We have to make the game as easy and approachable as possible for the majority of golfers," McIlroy said. "Honestly, I think this Distance Insight report has been a huge waste of time and money because that money that it's cost to do this report could have been way better distributed to getting people into the game, introducing young kids to the game, introducing minorities to the game.

"I heard Mike Davis say something about we're trying to protect the game for the next hundred years. This isn't how you do it. This is so small and inconsequential compared to the other things happening in the game. It's the grassroots. It's getting more people engaged in golf. That's where they should be spending their money, not spending it on the Distance Insight report."

The report didn’t specifically suggest bifurcation of the rules – a set for professionals and another for regular golfers – but it did hint at that as a possible solution, accomplished through local rules. That appealed to McIlroy.

"I would be all for that," he said. "If they want to try to make the game more difficult for us or try to incorporate more skill to the game, yeah, I would be all for that, because I think it only benefits the better player, which I feel like I am."

The reigning RBC Canadian Open champ didn’t just limit his criticism to the report. He even saved a little for the authors, saying their work reeked of self-importance and admitting that he might get in trouble for that comment.

Just before the cameras at the press conference turned off, McIlroy let out a sigh.

"I woke up in a mood," he stated, before departing.