The Open has been a fine festival of golf once again but as has been a recurring theme on the PGA Tour this year, slow play issues have once again cropped up.
The opening day was particularly slow for many players, with Rory McIlroy’s group taking around four hours just to get to the 11th hole at one point.
One player who we know doesn’t suffer fools and will make his point is LIV Golf star, Jon Rahm.
Being on LIV means Rahm gets his rounds done and dusted in around four hours most weeks and with The Open being congested, it will have been frustrating for Rahm to be involved with.
Justin Thomas has bemoaned the speed of play, while Bryson DeChambeau spoke openly on his personal solution for the issues.
However, while the complaints have been there from some, in a change of tack, Rahm actually held back when pressed on the matter.
Jon Rahm gives verdict on slow play after round three of The Open
Jon Rahm is always good for an interview after his rounds and if he’s asked something, he’ll generally give the most honest answer he can.
Naturally, we might have expected Rahm to be fuming with the pace of play issue but instead, the Spaniard offered a balanced view on proceedings.
“Well, like I told them, at least the people that played in my wave, we had a lot of rain come in and out, so umbrellas out, glove out, put the rain gear on, take the rain gear off, give the umbrella to the caddie.
It becomes a lot longer that way. Like I said to them, it usually is very much related to the amount of players in the field. When you have 150 plus the first two rounds, every single major except the Masters, obviously, is going to be longer rounds. It’s just what it is,” Rahm said.
“We don’t have — in smaller fields when you have less people, and even in threesomes in small fields, you don’t really have that issue. Once they get to the Playoffs or DP World championship or Abu Dhabi, those are not things that become an issue. I think there’s so many players and there’s so many opportunities to where the game can get delayed, you can reach the second hole, you can reach 5, you can let them finish or they’re going to wave up, you can reach 7, you can reach 12, then plenty of holes like 16 where things can get lengthened, that’s just going to happen.
“It’s the flow of the game. There’s very little you can do to make those rounds a lot shorter. That’s just the nature of the game.”
Jon Rahm speaks on the adjustment from LIV Golf to The Open
As mentioned, LIV Golfers are very much used to getting things done and dusted given their shotgun start style and smaller fields.
That means that when it comes to the majors, it’s suddenly a massive change, not to mention the fact it’s over four rounds and not three like on LIV.
For Rahm, though, it’s just about being able to adapt.
“It’s a bit of an adjustment after playing in LIV because we absolutely fly. The one thing we do, I feel like every round is less than four and a half hours unless the weather conditions are crazy. Doral may be a little bit longer,” Rahm continued.
It is an adjustment when you get to play a six-hour round a little bit, but I also know it’s going to happen. So talk to your caddie, talk to your playing partners. While there’s nothing you can do, just try to keep your mind engaged in something else but the game.
“Just not be thinking, okay, I have this hole, and keep thinking on what you’re going to do. Just distract yourself a little bit and basically lock back in when it’s time. There’s nothing else you can do.”
With the final round set to be a nail-biter if a few players can make an early move on Scottie Scheffler, speed of play will once again come into the spotlight.
If the final round is a slow one, then that could really affect how the leaderboard shapes up.
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