Slow play continues to be a dominant subject for conversation on the PGA Tour and now Justin Thomas has offered his take on the matter ahead of The Players Championship.
The issue of rounds taking longer than they should has plagued the game for decades but there seems to be a real push now to get something done about it.
With more money involved than ever from broadcasters and pressure from different angles in terms of getting it sorted, Jay Monahan has announced trials are coming on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Of course, eventually that will translate to the PGA Tour and after suggestions that the data will be released on who is the slowest, Justin Thomas was asked to offer his verdict.
Justin Thomas admits he’s one of the main culprits for slow play as changes announced
Thomas was speaking to the media ahead of The Players getting underway this week and was asked about the issue of slow play after Jay Monahan admitted changes are coming.
And interestingly, Thomas admitted he is one of the main culprits but insisted that in the main, the situation is a tricky one.
“It’s something I’ve said, if we put it in the locker room or put it out, which would obviously end up getting out, but nobody wants to be known as that,” Thomas said.
“I’m on the slow side of players. It bothers me, but I’ve talked to many officials about it. I want to know why I’m slow because obviously the first thing that any slower player thinks are that they’re not slow.
“I never want to be the guy that gets paired with someone and other guys are like ‘oh my god I’m with Justin and he’s so slow’. I know I get paired with guys and I’m like ‘oh gosh I have to play with so and so, they’re so slow’ and it’s now a fun feeling as you know you’re going to be on the clock. It’s not fun.
“Having to play somewhere like Bay Hill, if you’re behind and you’re warned, like that’s not a fun place to have to pick up pace. I do think it would be something that would be helpful but I think there’s a lot of little things that go into it. So like Torrey Pines, at the Genesis, we played in twosomes and played in like four hours. Versus the week before that at the Farmers, it was five hours 30 minutes but the difference in twosomes and threesomes is a big deal.
“We’re making progress, but it can always get better. It’s finding the fine line of improving it and not jeopardising the game. That’s just the reality.”
Thomas then went on to speak about the speed of greens and how that impacts being able to tidy up quickly, as he reeled off more factors that hinder speed of play.
What Sam Burns has suggested to solve slow play on the PGA Tour
There has been plenty of discussion over slow play in the last year and it’s good to see Jay Monahan confirm that new rules will be trialled on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Of course, everyone has an opinion on it but when it comes to monetary penalties, PGA Tour player Sam Burns believes another method is needed.
“I would say that there’s no reason why you would get four times [warnings] to get a fine for starters,” Burns told the SubPar Podcast.
“I also think fines to a lot of guys doesn’t mean anything. You fine a guy $50,000, he doesn’t really care that much. If you start taking FedEx Cup points away, that’s going to mean a lot more to somebody. If you really want to enforce this pace of play thing, I think it’s a bigger issue than just singled out people.
“The penalties should be a lot more severe than, you know, just a monetary value. I think it should be FedEx Cup points, possibly getting demoted from your tee time category and on and on.”
With The Players such a big event, it will be interesting to see if the conversation rears its head again come next week.
If not, then it will be a job well done and things can cool off once again for a while.
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