R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has defended the decision by golf’s governing bodies that will cost the game’s biggest hitters up to 15 yards in driving distance.

Ireland's leading clubmaker believes proposals by golf's governing bodies to roll back distance gains will have "zero effect" on the game's biggest hitters.

Rory McIlroy last night launched a withering attack on golf’s governing bodies when he branded the new Distance Insights Report “a huge waste of time and a huge waste of money.”