By Kent Gray
To putt with the flag in or not to putt with the flag in, that is the question. If you’re looking for the answer at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA, know that the stars don’t align on golf’s stickiest new rule.

Bryson DeChambeau mightn’t be among the big names chasing the Falcon trophy at Abu Dhabi Golf Club but the American has done more for the humble flagstick since golf’s new rules were introduced on January 1 than any other golfer. Ever.

Every player trotted through the media centre in the buildup to the $7 million Rolex Series event was quizzed on their plans for the pin’s permanence this week. Their answers were as diverse as DeChambeau’s game is atypical.

“It’s a little bit odd, isn’t it?” said two-time defending champion Tommy Fleetwood before taking us all back to our childhood and “this putt for the Open” on the practice green.

“Grew up as a kid just putting with the pin in it and scooping it out. We need a little scoop at the bottom of the pins now don’t we. It will make it more realistic.

“Honestly it’s going to be a trial and error thing. I don’t really have any science to it or anything like that. I know there’s lip-outs that you can have that can catch friction off the pin that go in when they might have a chance of missing. But you can also hit the pin dead-centre and it can jar out. I don’t really know if there’s a formula for it. Until we’ve tried it, we won’t know.”

Brooks Koepka experimented at the Sentry Tournament of Champions before jetting out to Dubai and has decided to stick to tradition. Well, maybe.

“It feels weird from five feet. I don’t know. I’m going to pull it out. I don’t like it in. I mean, I’ve gone my whole career with pulling the flag out and why are we going to switch it out now? I seem to have done alright with it out.”

So you’re definitely a flag out kinda guy?

“Maybe there’s one or two putts where I leave it in, maybe downhill sliders. You look at like a place like Augusta where you’ve got a real tricky putt where if you miss it you’re probably going to run it three or four feet by and you can still be aggressive with the flag in, something like that.”

Lee Westwood went a little off-piste with the new rules when he was asked about his pin plans.

“I think when there’s a massive spike mark from the group in front and they have walked off…to be able to tap that down I think is a good move.

“But I won’t be putting with the flag in, unless it’s from a long way away and slippery, you know, downhill. But to me, it makes the hole smaller. “

Adam Scott said he’s going to putt with it all year, even if it’s a 6-footer to win the Masters.

“With the flag in?!” Westwood enquired. “Saves his caddie from bending down doesn’t it, to put the flag in after he’s won. It’s going to look a bit weird.”