Matt Fitzpatrick Calls Slow Play On The PGA Tour 'A Disgrace,' But Knows It's Unlikely Anything Will Change
Slow play on the PGA Tour is a topic of discussion each year, but this year it seems like the conversation has started earlier than usual. Matt Fitzpatrick had a front-row seat to one of the perceived slow-play culprits during last week's RBC Heritage, and did not hold back with his criticisms about pace of play.
Patrick Cantlay and his snail's pace came into the spotlight during the final round of the Masters when it took he and Viktor Hovland close to five hours to make their Sunday loop around Augusta National, and it wasn't Hovland's fault.
Brooks Koepka, who was playing with Jon Rahm in the group behind Cantlay and Hovland, called the pace of play during the final round at the Masters "brutally slow." Cantlay responded to Koepka the next week and has even started leaning into his 'slow play villain' role.
Cantlay's pace of play came under attack again this past weekend during the RBC Heritage and Fitzpatrick - who was paired with Jordan Spieth and Cantlay on Sunday - and had some strong words about the slow play on the PGA Tour.
"I think they give us way too much leeway to get round," Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports. "If you're in a three-ball in my opinion you should be round in four hours, four-and-a-half absolute maximum, it's a disgrace to get anywhere near that. You're talking five-fifteen, five-and-a-half at some venues and it's truly appalling."
Matt Fitzpatrick Doesn't See Pace Of Play Speeding Up
The vast majority of players on Tour, fans, and those in the media agree that pace of play is a real issue in professional golf, but it's not a new issue whatsoever.
Players aren't being put on the clock or being penalized for taking ions to finish rounds, so why would the Tour start now? Fitzpatrick doesn't see any changes coming.
"The problem is though, you know this conversation has gone on for years and years and years and no one's ever done anything. So I feel like it's almost a waste of time talking about it every time," Fitzpatrick explained.
"I've got my opinions, they're probably strong opinions but you know, PGA Tour, DP World Tour, no one's going to do anything about it. It's just the way it's going to be"
Everything Fitzpatrick laid out is spot on. Until the powers that be in professional golf put a foot down, rounds will not speed up. Players are getting away with abusing the concept of time, why would they stop if nobody tells them to?
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