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Slow play became a point of emphasis in golf following last weekend’s Masters tournament. Many both in the field and online were upset with wait times throughout the action, and they let their frustrations be heard.
One of the top personalities was LIV star Brooks Koepka, who was very vocal about having to sit at tee boxes while groups in front of him finished up their holes.
After the final round at Augusta National, Koepka blasted Patrick Cantlay for his slow pace of play on the course by saying, “That group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon [Rahm] went to the bathroom 7 times today, and we were still waiting. So yeah.”
He may have a point…
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 13, 2023
Koepka shot +3 in that extended Sunday round as he fell from the top of the leaderboard.
After the Masters, one golf follower on social media pointed out just how long Koepka and his groupmate, Jon Rahm, had to wait on that last day. It totaled more than an hour and a half.
A stat from the final round of the Masters, which is nothing short of disgraceful!
Brooks and Jon spent 97 minutes waiting on a tee box throughout their final round.
Slow play, yet again, ruining the game! #SecretTourPro
— Secret Tour Pro (@secrettourpro) April 11, 2023
Now, fans are looking to find ways to eliminate the slow pace of play as they post suggestions online.
One person wrote, “It’s so Simple. Give a 1 stroke penalty… If you start throwing out penalties they will take notice.”
Someone else said, “Shot clock. Minute and a half max.”
Others suggested just enforcing the rules that are already in play.
This fan commented, “Apply the rules as they’re currently written. They are there to be used. Use them.”
I mean they literally did nothing to enforce it final round. Have a shot clock, put groups on the clock, ACTUALLY start giving penalties out, fine players for long rounds. Tons of options but there is literally no enforcement
— Mac Smith (@MaccAttacc17) April 13, 2023
Hear me out: ENFORCE THE EXISTING RULE.
— Mike (@burnitallagain) April 13, 2023
Whatever the case, it’s obviously become a visible issue at the top level. We’ll see if there’s a keener eye on pace of play moving forward.