The ongoing drama of Sarah Brown vs. the Duramed Futures Tour has reached a supposedly satisfying conclusion. This after Brown was DQ'd during the final round for allegedly using non-conforming wedge grooves (since found they were indeed legal).

"Sarah and I felt it was extremely important to get this issue behind us as soon as possible and am pleased that we have reached an agreement," Keith Brown said. "It is a confidential agreement. We can't give any details of it."

You can see later next week what that amount was by looking at the Futures money rankings. The Browns asked for $5,000 plus entry fees into next LPGA Q-School. My guess its somewhere in between--up to $10,000 or so.

However, the bigger issue is the confusing groove edict by the USGA causing this snafu in the first place.

What the USGA needed was, for lack of a better name, a School of Grooves. It should have been open to one and all. Golf associations, organizations and players should have been invited to attend.

Frankly, the situation has become terribly confusing. Many rules officials are not prepared to deal with the ramifications of the changeover in grooves. Most pros are blindly taking the word of someone else (usually a manufacturer or tour rep) that their wedges are permissible for competition. Most amateurs don’t understand whether their wedges are conforming or not. (Amateurs aren't affected until 2024).

Rick Arnett