“I’m a big fan of Rory, but he’s angering me,” said Johnson Wagner during an interview a few hours ago. For anyone who isn’t caught up yet, McIlroy was quoted saying, “I earn more money now than I did in 2019, and if LIV hadn’t come around, I don’t know if I’d be able to say that.” Oh, how the tables have turned now that the PIF-PGA Tour merger is getting closer.

That is why famed analyst; Johnson Wagner said that McIlroy is “angering me,” especially when the latter specifically stated, “I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf, I hate it. I really do,” in 2022. McIlroy didn’t back down from his opinion in 2023 as well; “I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away”. And now, he’s suddenly in favor of the Saudi-based promotion.

It wasn’t only Rory McIlroy who took the heat from Johnson Wagner during the interview. The PGA Tour’s Commissioner, Jay Monahan was also brought up by the 3x PGA Tour winner. Wagner brought up an age-old issue that the PGA Tour has been heavily criticized for recently.

Wagner joined the Golf Channel‘s YouTube video where he was asked, “What is the right amount of time to play golf in at a professional level?”. In response, he clarified that both events went 30 minutes over the TV broadcast window, adding, “We have policies in place in the PGA Tour, they are just not getting enforced.”

In comparison, Wagner thinks the LPGA is nailing pace of play, even without a full-time commissioner. The analyst believes, “There is no way to fix this unless you penalize them,” something different comment sections are buzzing with. “Give them strokes and start doing them soon,” he concluded, asking Jay Monahan & Co. to penalize the players with strokes.

Wagner understands that the pros are playing in tough conditions at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, but still believes “it should be played in under 5 hours.” Explaining why the fines are also not being enforced strictly, he said, “I don’t think rules officials want to be bad guys.” This puts the rules officials in bad books.

Another case of criticism due to slow play and the PGA Tour officials are facing the heat again. However, Jay Monahan & Co. have actually been working on strategies to improve the slow play situation.

How are Jay Monahan & Co. tackling the slow play issue?

The pace of play has been a major concern in the PGA Tour. Fans have constantly criticized the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim, and Co. for wasting time on the course. Jay Monahan & Co. tried to find a solution by proposing a reduced field size from 2026 onwards. However, that didn’t sit well with the fans as they showed concern over young players missing out on opportunities. That seems to have helped Jay Monahan & Co. get on the right track.

In January 2025, the PGA Tour said they are considering allowing players to use rangefinders on the course. Not long after, the Tour also announced that they would be keenly tracking slow plays and making the database public. Dubbed “public shaming” by insiders, this move keeps golfers in check and speeds up play.

Does Jay Monahan & Co. deserve the heat for their pace-of-play fixes? Drop your thoughts in the comments!