While those at the top of the game have probably never played for greater riches, it is safe to say that the golfing landscape is far from perfect right now, with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf coming in for plenty of criticism.
It has been an interesting start to the year for the PGA Tour. They were dealt the blow of seeing both Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele sustain injuries. Schauffele remains sidelined heading into the Genesis Invitational.
The lack of early success for their household names seemed to leave the fans uninspired, with The Sentry attracting poor viewing figures. Meanwhile, there has been another issue which has prompted a lot of debate in the first six weeks of the year.
Slow play seems to have been the hottest topic, with fans criticising The American Express after the final round took the best part of six hours. Meanwhile, the final group on Saturday at the Farmers Insurance Open took nearly three hours to play the front nine.
Kevin Kisner says slow play on the PGA Tour has been overblown
The PGA Tour is considering a number of changes to tackle the problem. Meanwhile, plenty of players have had their say, with Lucas Glover calling for aimpoint to be banned.
But it seems that some are not as convinced that the issue needs major attention. Speaking on the Fore Play Podcast, Kevin Kisner hinted that it was delusional to expect tournament times to come right down in the future.
“I just don’t think it’s a big deal. I think it is way overblown. I know it takes a long time. But you get your a— out there and walk as far as I walk and hit golf shots and tell me you can do it in less than five hours on greens that are rolling 13 and pins on top of slopes and marking three footers and playing for $10 million,” he said.
“When I played at Phoenix last week I didn’t one time say that guy is slow, or I wish he would hurry up and hit or why are we waiting here. I just don’t see it. Every hole I walk off a green and have to walk 200 yards backwards from the opposite way of the green to go tee off, then I have to go walk all the way back to where I started from. It just takes time. Walking seven miles takes time, not only are we doing that, we are trying to figure out where the wind is and we are trying to make a par. There are slow players, there is no doubt there are slow players, and people need to probably speed up if they are slow.
“But I don’t say while I am playing I can’t believe how slow this guy is. I hardly ever see that.”
What broadcasters could do as the PGA Tour faces criticism over slow play
It is an interesting take. And certainly, there are ways that the broadcasters could make the events feel a lot faster. They do not need to show Tom Kim going through the entire conversation with his caddie before hitting, and they do not need to have the camera on Brian Harman before he starts waggling the golf club.
There is also a place for slower play when it comes to building the tension. Fans were amazed by Jordan Spieth on Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open after he managed to save a par on 11 despite his tee shot coming to rest under a bush. Spieth did not rush his second shot, which added to the drama.
Meanwhile, something like a shot clock would have inevitably made Sunday at last year’s US Open much, much worse as Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy battled it out for the title. There are moments where giving the action time to breath makes it all the more enthralling.
And it seems that not everyone feels that tackling slow play should be at the top of the PGA Tour’s agenda by any means.
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