Paige Spiranac believes the PGA Tour has to address the issue of slow play that won’t seem to go away.
The latest example took place at the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open. Harris English came out on top in the end, but not until he and his group took five hours and 29 minutes to complete the final 18 holes.
The slow play wasn’t lost on CBS reporter Dottie Pepper, who stated that the pace of play has “just gotta be better” as it doesn’t help competitors, fans or broadcasters. Her thoughts were shared by many in the golf community, including Paige Spiranac.
Spiranac can’t look past slow play
Paige has never been shy to defend the PGA Tour when needed. She recently stated that “professional golf will always be king”, adding how key it is for media personalities and pro golf to work together to reach more audiences.
However, like many others, slow play is one thing that Spiranac can’t look past. She believes that the excessive time it takes to complete rounds only hurts the sport, as it does little to attract new viewers.
“No one is blind to the fact pro golf is currently struggling to capture audiences. They need to speed up pace of play, get fresh talent incorporated into the broadcasts, introduce the audience to the rookies, less commercials, and most importantly have the best players in the world on one tour”, she wrote on X.
The fact slow play isn’t just an issue on the PGA Tour shows just how big of a problem it is for golf. LPGA Tour Charley Hull recently suggested there should be a penalty system for those who take too long on the course.
“I’m quite ruthless, but I said, ‘Listen, if you get three bad timings, every time it’s a two-shot penalty. If you have three of them [penalties], you lose your [LPGA] Tour card instantly,” Hull said.
Her sentiments were shared by Nelly Korda, who said: “I personally think it’s a pretty big issue… I think it’s not good for the fans that come out and watch us.”
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