Photo: Robert Beck, USGA
Many amateurs thought it had already been decided. In fact, moments after the USGA and R&A announced Tuesday that the rules regarding amateur status would be updated in 2022 to lift the restrictions on name, image and likeness, I broke the news to 10 members of the Rollins College women’s golf team who were hosting an event at Country Club of Orlando in Florida. To a player, they all gave me a quizzical look. Then one of them said, “They did it again?”
That seemed to be the prevailing view. A lot of amateurs thought the opening of this proposal for feedback back in February made the NIL rules a fait accompli. After all, the NCAA lifted all NIL restrictions on July 1, allowing college athletes to market and sell themselves without jeopardizing their college eligibility. But the USGA and R&A have been working on this for longer and for entirely different reasons than the NCAA.
Photo: Steve Bardens, R&A via Getty Images
According to a joint press release that went out on Tuesday morning, “...
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