Mickelson gets back in the old groove - provocatively

There's trouble brewing in professional golf.

It's got nothing to do with Tiger Woods or John Daly, and it's got nothing to do with women trying to horn in on the men's circuit.

No, this is about Phil Mickelson and his wedge – his square-grooved Ping-Eye 2 wedge, to be precise – and fellow professional Scott McCarron's not happy.

He's probably not the only one, but he's the only player so far to have gone public by declaring "it's cheating" for Mickelson and anyone else to use the Ping wedges.

You see, square grooves are no longer allowed on the PGA Tour because of the new USPGA policy, effective this year, that requires grooves in irons to be more a shallow V-shape, which generates less spin.

However, the Ping-Eye 2 wedges made before April 1, 1990 are approved for competition because of a lawsuit that Ping settled with the PGA Tour and the USGA some 20 years ago. And that, says Mickelson, is the end of the matter. If it's legal, then he has absolutely no qualms about using it.

Mickelson's ranked as the world's second-best golfer behind the disgraced Woods, and he's clearly the best left-hander on the planet. He's also blessed with one of the best short games in golf and, given his current situation, it's possible that he'll now have an even more significant advantage whenever he takes his Ping-Eye 2 out of his bag.

Not that it was apparent in last weekend's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where Lefty bogeyed each of his first three holes in the final round to finish 19th. But that had more to do with Mickelson's errant driving rather than any issues with the controversial wedge.

So where to now? The intent seemed obvious last year when the issue of grooves was first raised.

Clearly, the USPGA wanted to create a more competitive environment by making it tougher for players to impart backspin out of the rough. For the ruling to be effective, though, every single player on the tour needed to be on board. There seems to be little value in either recognising or enforcing the ruling if Mickelson or any other player can get their hands on clubs legally sanctioned by the tour's governing body – albeit two decades ago. What's the point?

McCarron's not a star. With three PGA career wins, he's currently ranked 212th in the world. But after 18 years on the tour, he's earned enough clout to voice his opinion.

You only need to look at the ridiculous legal circus surrounding the America's Cup to recognise that when the lawyers get involved, common sense occasionally becomes a conspicuous casualty.

Gut feelings are often reliable indicators – and, irrespective of Mickelson's legal justification, in this instance McCarron appears to be on the money.

Maybe, though, the real question should be whether they really needed to try to make the game tougher in the first place.

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