3X Major Winner Makes Strong Consideration to PGA Tour to End Slow Play

Published 05/30/2023, 3:30 AM EDT

Over the past few months, slow play has dominated conversations within the golf community. Following last month’s Masters, World No. 4 Patrick Cantlay became a hot topic not because of his golfing skills but due to his pace of play.

Most recently, LIV’s Brooks Koepka, who has always been one of the harshest critics of slow players, requested that at-fault golfers be penalized. Now, another 3-time major winner and golfing legend has touched upon the topic, offering a simple but unique solution!

3-time major winner proposes a simple solution for the PGA Tour to improve the pace of play

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51-year-old Padraig Harrington may have lost the 2023 Senior PGA Championship title to Steve Stricker, but the golfer has come out with a distinctive perspective on the game. Taking to social media, the PGA Tour veteran opined on the issue of ‘slow play’ that has plagued the game for a long time.

In a tweet, the golfer shed light on his experience using a rangefinder during the Senior PGA Championship as well as the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. According to the golfer, the device can help calculate yardages and significantly boost the speed of play. “They really help with pace of play when players are out of position with an awkward yardage,” he wrote, tagging the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.

After using a range finder for the last 2 weeks @PGAChampionship and @seniorpgachamp, I’ve come round to believing that we should use them in all tournaments. They really help with pace of play when players are out of position with an awkward yardage. @DPWorldTour @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/QNwYB0uMfJ
— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) May 29, 2023

Harrington finished solo second behind former Ryder Cup nemesis Steve Stricker at the recently-concluded Senior PGA Championship. He had also competed at Oak Hill, where he carded an impressive 1-under 69 on the final day.

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While the Irishman offered a simple fix, 5-time major winner Brooks Koepka had a more strict solution for the problem. Ahead of competing at the PGA Championship earlier this month, Koepka once again made his feelings clear about the slow play issue.

Brooks Koepka has a quick fix for the slow pace in a game

Last month at Augusta, Brooks Koepka stirred quite a storm with his comments. “Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting,” the golfer had said. Consequently, the players ahead of him, mainly Patrick Cantlay, received a lot of flak for their alleged slow pace.

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Just days ago, Koepka entered the slow-play conversation once again after being asked for a solution to the problem. So, how would he fix it? “Honestly, I would start stroking guys. If you are going to take that long, you have to get stroked,” said the 33-year-old firmly during the pre-PGA Championship conference at Oak Hill.

Harrington and Koepka are, unsurprisingly, not the only golfers who have opened up about the matter either. Last month, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick called for stringent action after slow play at the 2023 RBC Heritage event. And weeks before that, the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, and Gary Player also addressed the rising issue with the pace of the game. Hence, one thing is clear: a solution is certainly necessary!

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What do you think of Harrington’s solution? Do you think more stringent rules need to be put in place to address the slow play issue? Tell us in the comments below!

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Written by:

Abantika is a fresh writer at EssentiallySports who was chosen in the recent round of ‘ES Draft’ for her strong passion for golf writing. Even in her early days, Abantika has displayed an impressive ability to cover golf with gripping and insightful stories backed by thorough research. Her inspiration comes from the words of the legendary golfer and flag-bearer of the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy: "As long as I keep enjoying my golf, then hopefully I'll be able to play well," which motivates her to continue writing engaging pieces.

Edited by:

Sheldon Pereira

3X Major Winner Makes Strong Consideration to PGA Tour to End Slow Play

3-time major winner proposes a simple solution for the PGA Tour to improve the pace of play

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Brooks Koepka has a quick fix for the slow pace in a game