Ridley: Masters Ball Difficult, Not Ruling Anything Out

John Boyette of the Augusta Chronicle sets the table for new Chairman Fred Ridley's Wednesday press conference and some inevitable questions about lengthening the course and other possible changes in response to a changing game. 

Ridley is on the record as being a protector of Jones and MacKenzie's design strategy, which is often lost with modern distances, grainy fairways and tree plantings.

“What I think we should do, and what we have done over the years, is to go back to that philosophy and think about what do we need to do to make sure that we are true to the principles that Jones and MacKenzie established at the beginning,” Ridley said.

And this, on the idea of a Masters ball.

“I think it would be difficult, frankly, to have a golf ball for one tournament, but I wouldn’t rule anything out,” Ridley said. “We’re always going to do what we think is in the best interest of the tournament.”