PGA Tour Needs to Re-Examine Slow-Play Policy After Valspar Championship

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: March 17, 2014

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If there was ever a question as to why golf has had a tough time growing its fan base, one needs to look no further than the pace of play on the PGA Tour.

Kevin Na’s glacial pace of play on Saturday afternoon at the Valspar Championship was nothing short of painful to watch.

The fidgeting, the stepping off of the ball numerous times, the 10 waggles and five practice swings before every shot, the checking and re-checking of his yardage book, the three-minute conversations with his caddie before even selecting a club, etc. had many golf fans diving for their remote controls just to escape a sporting event that Na had transformed into something akin to watching a coat of paint dry.

The only intriguing aspect of Saturday’s coverage of the Valspar Championship was waiting to see how long it would take Na’s playing partner and tournament leader Robert Garrigus to blow a gasket and go all Happy Gilmore on Na.

The PGA Tour’s rules with regards to slow play are quite simple.

If a group falls out of position, as Na and Garrigus clearly had on Saturday afternoon when they fell a hole-and-a-half behind the group in front of them, a rules official will notify the players that they have been “put on the clock.”

This essentially means that each player has 40 seconds to hit their shot once it is their turn to play, except (according to golf.about.com) in the following cases where a player is given 60 seconds to hit a shot:

• He is the first of his group to play from the teeing ground of a par-3 hole;
• He is the first to play a second shot on a par-4 or par-5;
• He is the first to play a third shot on a par-5;
• He is the first player to play around the putting green;
• He is the first to play on the putting green.

Once a group is put on the clock, it makes no difference which member of the group was res...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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