Both Titleist and the USGA declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n
To curb the extreme driving distances at the game\u2019s highest levels, the USGA and R&A announced in 2023 a change to the Overall Distance Standard\u00a0used to test golf balls<\/a>. The rollback,<\/a> which is slated to be implemented in the professional game in 2028 and recreational play by 2030, would see the testing conditions for balls changed to a 125-mph clubhead speed (up from 120) and launch angle increased to 11 degrees (up from 10). Balls would still need to fly no farther than 317 yards with a 3-yard tolerance.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, there is no conforming list,\u201d Young said at the PGA Championship on Wednesday. \u201cI suppose I read something that said it passed that test, but I wasn\u2019t aware of that until very recently. So at no point was that a consideration. It was just really me trying to optimize my golf, and it\u2019s the ball that seems to work the best for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Young put the ball in play for the first time at the Wyndham Championship in August and won by six strokes. On Wednesday he said he found out just a few weeks ago that the ball would be conforming under the new rule.<\/p>\n Now a three-time PGA Tour winner, Young first tested the ball \u2014\u00a0which is one of Titleist\u2019s Customized Performance Option (CPO) balls designed to fine-tune performance and flight characteristics \u2014\u00a0about two years ago. Titleist\u2019s director of tour research and validation Fordie Pitts delivered the finished prototypes to Young at the Wyndham, and he has played the ball ever since.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Data Golf<\/a> looked at Young\u2019s 50-round driving distance average since he made the switch last August and noticed he\u2019s lost about 3 yards off the tee. But his accuracy is up dramatically this season; he ranks 46th in the category, finding more than 61 percent of his fairways, a rise of 121 spots from last year. He ranks 6th in SG: Off the Tee, up from 31st.<\/p>\n Why this has garnered attention during one of the biggest weeks of the year is due to Young\u2019s marginal driving losses. If he\u2019s losing only a couple of yards per drive with a rolled-back ball, some might argue the rollback might not accomplish what it set out to do.<\/p>\n Cameron Young revealed this morning that he recently became aware his Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot prototype golf ball would be conforming under the new proposed ODS test conditions set to be implemented for golf’s roll back in 2028. <\/p>\n Said he noticed no distance lost.<\/p>\n Young has\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Nv4M3Vz5cn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) May 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Titleist identified Young as having unique delivery characteristics, which could be optimized by the Double Dot prototype. From what Titleist has divulged about the prototype, the ball has a lower spin and flatter flight than the standard Pro V1x. Young has a naturally strong ball flight with his irons, and the ball helped optimize his launch conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, the biggest thing, like I said, is the irons,\u201d Young said Wednesday. \u201cThis ball is easier to control with the irons. It doesn\u2019t spin as much, and it just allows me to be better with my distance control just because it\u2019s more consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n Since he added the ball, he\u2019s worked to optimize the top end of his bag<\/a> for its lower-spinning flight, adding an 11-degree GT3 driver, high-launching GT1 3-wood and a new GTS3 7-wood, his first time using the club type.<\/p>\n \u2018Failure\u2019s not an option\u2019: Augusta National chairman reaffirms club\u2019s rollback stance<\/a><\/p>\n By:<\/p>\n \u201cThe driver is kind of the easiest thing to deal with, I feel like,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me to get it where it needed to be, I had to just add a little bit of spin, and it kind of comes out at a perfectly playable range.\u201d<\/p>\n In March, Young unleashed a 375-yard bomb with that new GT3 setup and Double Dot ball on the 72nd hole of the Players Championship that was the longest drive recorded on TPC Sawgrass\u2019 18th hole in the ShotLink era. But while the ball wasn\u2019t developed with Young in mind, it has been a perfect fit for him and come during the height of his career thus far.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think any of us are out here playing the ball that goes the farthest,\u201d Young said. \u201cI think you\u2019d struggle to find a single person that\u2019s doing that. We\u2019re all sacrificing a certain amount of things that we feel are worth it, control with irons, control with wedges. For me, that\u2019s the biggest thing is being able to control spin.\u201d<\/p>\n Conforming or not in 2028 \u2014 or 2030, as the governing bodies are floating the idea of delaying implementation \u2014 Young is convinced that the Double Dot is the best ball for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI was kind of surprised in a sense, but at the same time, it didn\u2019t change that I had played well with it, and I was comfortable,\u201d Young said of learning of the ball\u2019s conformance under the proposed rule. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m playing a golf ball that\u2019s best for how I\u2019m playing the game at the moment. If that works out to mean that this goes into effect and I\u2019m still playing the ball however many years from now makes it an easy change.\u201d<\/p>\n The author welcomes your comments at\u00a0Jack.Hirsh@golf.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Want to overhaul your bag in 2026?\u00a0Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “><\/p>\n
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