A players meeting took place on Tuesday at the site of the Northern Trust Open. After the meeting, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem spoke to Ping chairman and CEO John Solheim. Solheim released this statement:
"PGA Tour Commissioner Finchem and I had a brief discussion ... and he shared his belief that the 1993 settlement agreement allowed his organization to utilize the protocol to consider a special rule that would ban PING EYE2 irons and wedges. While we strongly disagree with their interpretation of the agreement, we agreed further dialogue on the topic was healthy. We hope to speak again in the next week or so. I've also been in contact with the USGA and expect to meet with them as well."
The "protocol" Solheim refers to is written into the 1993 agreement between the PGA Tour and Ping that stated the Tour would abide by USGA rulings regarding the legality for play of Ping Eye 2 irons made in the late 1980s. Since the USGA has its own legal agreement with Ping that stipulates those old Ping Eye 2s remain legal, those clubs also remain playable on the PGA Tour.
The "protocol" describes conditions under which the Tour could break away from the USGA's ruling regarding the Ping Eye 2s. That protocol involves a lot of legalese and some very specific conditions regarding the state of modern equipment. The Tour stated last week it believed it might be able to invoke the protocol; Ping's Solheim stated last week he didn't see how the conditions in the protocol could be considered met.
Based on Solheim's statement, it appears the PGA Tour will forge ahead and try to ban the old Ping Eye 2s. Commissioner Finchem is holding a press conference later today, where he'll be pressed about this matter. Stay tuned.
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