There was always a possibility the world’s most influential professional circuit would decide to go it alone on distance, yet the announcement still came as a bit of a shock.

The governing bodies who make the rules all golfers play by (or have played by, until now it seems) have no authority to enforce those rules.

They govern only by the good grace of the governed and the PGA Tour – in fact any golfer or entity involved in the game – is free to choose to play by different rules.

But there are very good reasons why the professional circuits have always agreed to follow the R&A and USGA rulebook.

Because the reality of the rules business is that it is all cost and no income. There is literally no upside to making your own rules.

So why would Monahan reject the proposed Local Model Rule?

Simple. Politics.

The Commissioner’s credibility has taken a significant – potentially fatal – hit with the membership and he is desperately trying to cling to his job by giving the membership what they have said they want.

But all decisions have consequences and this one will, too. There are now more questions than answers, not the least being how will other professional Tours react?

Is it feasible for the DP World Tour to choose to adopt the local rule instead of following Monahan’s lead? And what about the LPGA, and us here in Australia?

If we were to adopt the local rule might that be a disincentive for PGA Tour players – including our own home-grown stars like Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott – to come and play here?

"The Commissioner’s credibility has taken a significant – potentially fatal – hit with the membership and he is desperately trying to cling to his job by giving the membership what they have said they want."

If we don’t adopt the rule where does that leave Golf Australia with the Opens? Could we face the prospect of the Australian Open being played with a modified ball and the PGA the following week under different rules?

Then, of course, there’s the majors.

The Open and U.S Open will be adopting the rule and it would be almost unthinkable for Augusta National to break ranks with the governing bodies.

The PGA might stand with Monahan but that means PGA Tour players face the prospect of teeing it up in at least three of the four Grand Slam events with different equipment.

That’ll be some fun discussions come 2025.

It’s hard to know how history will ultimately judge Jay Monahan but it’s difficult to see it being anything but harshly.

At every critical juncture he has stumbled, from the response to the launch of LIV to the stunning about face on that and now to this.

It wasn’t that long ago there was a unity to golf that was pretty much global. Thanks to the men’s professional game that is now in tatters and it’s hard to see how it might ever be repaired.