Tyrrell Hatton and Sepp Straka produced fine performances to win their respective tournaments on the weekend but, although it’s a great sign for Europe ahead of the Ryder Cup in September, the two events left a slightly sour taste in my mouth.
To begin with, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic saw a final round of 5.5 hours, whilst The American Express involved groups taking 40 minutes to play just one hole! If that happened at my golf club, the perpetrators would be outed and dealt with in a swift manner.
Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy wait in the fairway during their final round in Dubai
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Now, I understand these players are vying for plenty of dollars but, at the same time, what example is it setting when a round is taking up a near quarter of the day? Or pretty much half a day when you include the fact that light is limited…
It’s not just The American Express where this has happened. Previously, there have been times when the PGA Tour has had to halt their first or second day of action due to fading light, despite the fact there have been no issues with weather or delays in tee times. In California, you couldn’t ask for a stiller final round, in terms of wind, and yet rounds were taking over five hours on a course they had played multiple times already
The introduction of the TGL shows what golf is capable of. In fact, during the final round of The American Express, you could fit 2.5 rounds of TGL into the same time period. This is primarily thanks to the shot clock aspect used during the matches, something that the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler were supportive of during their first match at the start of January.
I love watching golf and, although Straka was leading The American Express with some exceptional play, it was a real struggle to stay tuned in watching the broadcast. The leaders teed off at 10.50am (local time) and, by 3pm, they had only just completed the 13th hole. This isn’t a one time thing, it’s happened to often now. Sort out your slow play!
Straka, Jason Day and Charley Hoffman took 40 minutes to play the 11th hole at Pete Dye Stadium Course
(Image credit: Getty Images)
To begin with, stop giving them warnings, actually do something about it. Don’t penalize them in terms of fines, take away FedEx Cup or Order of Merit points. If they miss the season finale by two points following slow play then tough luck. The majority of these players are multi-millionares, if they will get fined $5,000 for slow play,…
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