Scottie Scheffler came under fire on social media after a clip of him appearing to take five minutes to play a wedge shot at the PGA Championship received hundreds of thousands of views.
The World No.2 had a tricky pitch shot from the deep Oak Hill rough on the 14th hole, his fifth, which he certainly looked to take his time over. Scheffler was seen walking up to the green and back down towards his ball, while he was also deliberating with playing partner Brooks Koepka over which of the two was to play next.
Later in the clip, Scheffler held his hands up, seemingly unaware it was his turn to play.
It appeared that the Texan was first waiting on the group ahead, who were on the putting green at the time, although social media wasn’t giving him the benefit of the doubt.
5 minutes to hit a pitch shot, what are we doing.Golf needs a shot clock. https://t.co/gsGdJd5zzoMay 18, 2023
“I realize the 40 second rule almost never applies or is enforced. But this is 7.5X the allotted time to hit your shot. Totally egregious,” one user wrote, while others said he should be penalized strokes.
This should be a 10 shot penalty. Maybe more. https://t.co/fuaqAGHzFCMay 18, 2023
His companion Brooks Koepka suggested just that earlier in the week for slow place offenders.
Koepka has been very vocal about slow play in recent years, again speaking out on pace of play at The Masters where he described the group ahead on the final day as “brutally slow”.
Ahead of the PGA Championship, the four-time Major champion said: “There’s a lot of guys out here that take their time. I think it is a problem. Technically in the rule book it says you have 40 seconds to hit your shot. I think that’s what it is. If you are taking over, technically you’re breaking the rules, right?
“Honestly, I would start stroking guys. If you are going to take that long, you have to get stroked. There are certain circumstances where the wind switches, something like that, it’s understandable, but taking a while is I just think unnecessary.”
Due to the viral nature of the clip, it’s likely Scheffler will be asked about what happened after his round where he may give a valid explanation as to what went on.
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