With another PGA Tour event in the bag in the form of the Mexico Open, it almost felt too good to be true that fans didn’t have a complaint about the tournament.
Nearly every event this season has drawn some form of complaint from golf fans.
Fans fumed at the Genesis coverage last week, while even the TGL has come under fire, with some fans unhappy with the likes of Cam Young and Patrick Cantlay being given a chance.
- READ MORE: Brandel Chamblee states the most likely reason why the putting on the PGA Tour keeps getting worse
However, the Mexico Open seemed to be going off without a hitch this weekend as the play headed into the final round on Sunday.
But just when it seemed too good to be true, up stepped English golfer Aaron Rai to annoy the masses.
Golf fans slam Aaron Rai after his slow putting at the Mexico Open
As slow play continues to be a dominant subject to talk about in golf circles, Aaron Rai did his best to ensure the conversation continued.
During his final round and with Rai well in contention to win, the Englishman took around two minutes just to get his putt off, before trundling his effort just wide of the hole.
And over on social media, fans were not happy.
One fan mocked Rai, claiming he’d have taken far less time for the same result.
While another suggested that they’d just concede the putt, such was the time taken.
“If I was playing a match against that I probably would have just given him the putt halfway through. Maybe even concede the match and hope I never see him again in my life.”
Another fan continued the same thoughts, suggesting there’s just no situation where Rai needed to be taking so long.
“There is no world in which you need that long to hit a putt. Put these guys on a shot clock and see what they cut out”
While another golf watcher couldn’t believe how many times Rai seemed to decide on a different line.
“He took like 4 different reads on that putt. Probably wasn’t confident in the line and why he missed. Brutal PoP. The bending down behind the ball multiple times is the worst.”
For Rai, it seems he’s made the wrong impression, as another fan called his actions ‘ridiculous’.
“That was the most painful thing to watch ever. Along with the LPGA player doing Aimpoint on a tap in. This is ridiculous”
While in a more worrying scenario for the PGA Tour, one fan claimed this is the sort of play that stops them tuning in completely.
“He’s a pro and I get why he’s so meticulous. But just because I get it t doesn’t mean I’m watching. Slow play is slow play”
Why Aaron Rai’s putting is a big problem
Despite being a consistent performer out on the PGA Tour and finishing in fourth place in Mexico, Aaron Rai hasn’t quite hit the heights of some of his peers.
Indeed, Smylie Kaufman has said that Rai needs to putt better, otherwise he’ll never be considered in the elite echelons.
“I was with him all day. Dude, he should have won the golf tournament. He could have been six under through seven holes. He was hitting it better than anybody. He hits a little longer than Campbell but just as good with the precision iron game and the putter and his wedge play totally let him down,” Kaufman said.
“I think he would be a great Ryder Cup player because of how well he hits it but his putting never looks good to me eye. I am sure he has had great putting weeks in his career. He can’t be a top 30 player in the world like he is without being a pretty good putter. He is most certainly not an elite putter, by any means, but it really let him down, down the stretch.”
It seems that Rai, then, has something to work on and if he dreams of a Ryder Cup spot in 2025, it’s something he simply has to improve on.
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