World Handicap System Manipulators Are Cheats - R&a

With Rory McIlroy's Masters occurrence - and profession Grand Slam - expected to animate a surge successful participation, play bosses are informing humble hackers to debar cheating connected their handicaps.

Millions of recreational players successful Great Britain and Ireland are being sent accusation connected really to instrumentality to nan rules of nan arguable World Handicapping System (WHS) which was introduced successful 2020.

Administrators admit nan strategy is unfastened to maltreatment and immoderate players artificially manipulate handicaps to amended their chances of winning amateur competitions.

"Through our investigation it's clear that successful Great Britain and Ireland location are immoderate circumstantial concerns astir nan system," Grant Moir, nan R&A's executive head of governance told BBC Sport.

"And peculiarly location is simply a cognition that location are a mini number of players that are manipulating nan system.

"We recognise that moreover if it is only a mini number doing this past it tin effect connected title play and it negatively impacts connected golfers' opinions of WHS.

"We want to emphasise that deliberately breaching nan rules is unacceptable and to frankly telephone retired manipulation for what it is, which is cheating."

WHS was brought successful to thief make play much inclusive. Players do not person to beryllium a nine personnel to get a handicap which tin past beryllium utilized astatine immoderate people successful nan world.

In statement pinch scores submitted, golfers are fixed a 'handicap index' which will supply nan due number of shots for nan trouble of nan people they are playing. This should alteration players of each abilities to play against each other.

Under nan caller system, scores from 'general play', alternatively than solely from rounds successful general competitions, tin beryllium submitted. The statement depends connected nan honesty of golfers to participate scores that bespeak their existent ability.

"The rules of play and handicapping trust connected nan integrity of players," Moir added. "And we each request to beryllium prepared to situation immoderate behaviour that lacks that integrity.

"We want golfers to return nan aforesaid position connected nan rules of handicapping arsenic they would connected nan rules of golf.

"We cognize that it is very, very uncommon for group to activity to play different than successful accordance pinch nan rules of play and we request group to position nan rules of handicapping successful precisely nan aforesaid way."

Golfers and nine committees are receiving reminders connected really nan strategy should beryllium implemented.

"We've sewage a societal media and e-newsletter campaign," Moir said. "We astatine nan R&A are collaborating pinch England Golf, Golf Ireland, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf to reside immoderate of these concerns.

"The rule intent of nan run is to raise consciousness among golfers, but besides pinch handicapping committees arsenic to what their ain responsibilities are wrong nan rules."

Officials insist nan caller strategy useful good and constituent to increasing information numbers, which are expected to beryllium further boosted by McIlroy's melodramatic and inspirational play-off triumph successful Augusta.

Last year, 14 cardinal handicap cards were submitted successful Great Britain and Ireland - up 1.4 cardinal connected 2023 - while 9 cardinal of those came from title play.

"We want group to return arsenic galore wide play scores arsenic possible," Moir said. "That's erstwhile nan caller handicap strategy comes into its ain and reflects existent shape and ability."