Slow play policy under review
Print Edition
The PGA Tour is considering expanding its pace-of-play policy in the wake of vocal criticism by players and fans of recent slow play.
Current policy only addresses pairings and threesomes with all the players in a group having to complete a hole within a set time to stay “in position” and avoid a potential penalty.
The tour is thinking of expanding the policy to also address individuals whose groups are “in position” but who take an excessive amount of time to hit a shot.
The issue reached critical mass over the weekend when American Ryder Cup player Bryson DeChambeau took more than two minutes lining up a putt during the second round at the Northern Trust tournament in New Jersey. He was pilloried and ridiculed on social media by fans and fellow players.
“We know that the individual habits of players when they are preparing to hit a shot can quickly become a focal point in today’s world, and our players and fans are very passionate about this issue,” said PGA Tour chief of operations Tyler Dennis.
“We are currently in the process of reviewing this aspect of pace of play and asking ourselves, is there a better way to do it?
“We think technology definitely plays a key role in all of this and we are thinking about new and innovative ways to use it to address these situations.”
Leading players, including Brooks Koepka and fellow four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, have been among vocal critics of the tour’s inaction over slowpokes.
It took the last pairing just over four hours to complete the final round at the Northern Trust on Sunday.
Dennis said pace of play was a complex issue because of the many factors affecting it — including the number of players on the course, tee time intervals, amount of daylight, course set-up and the weather.
Rowdy fans can also contribute to slow play.
Under the tour’s current pace-of-play policy, players are “on the clock” when their group falls out of position.
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