"He drove the ball really long and really straight and he took a long time to do it."

Whenever they do get on the course, it'll be interesting to see how CBS handles J.B. Holmes' pace of play. From Steve Elling's story today, quoting Chris DiMarco:

He drove the ball great, but he needs to pick the pace up," DiMarco said without prompting afterward. "He's really, really slow.

"He drove the ball really long and really straight and he took a long time to do it."

Holmes has additionally begun having his caddie help line him up over putts, a habit that is all the rage on the LPGA. It doesn't trim any time off his personal shot clock, either.

Earlier this year, Holmes was openly defiant about his glacial pace when in contention, saying that with $1 million on the line, he's not going to rush shots for anybody. Which isn't to suggest he isn't trying to improve, he said. Let's just say that, like one his driver shots, there's much acreage to be covered.

"You get in pressure situations in tournaments like majors and it takes longer," Holmes said. "I don't want to be that slow, but you need to make sure your mind is right."

Comments

[Linus]

I really like J.B. Holmes. Reading the stats on some of his holes are unreal, you know, hitting an 8-iron 217 yards ,etc. But seriously. Is he playing for more money than the rest of the field? Is there more pressure on him than on the others? They're all slow, yet he's so slow that his peers are annoyed. How slow do you have to be to have another PGA Tour player complain?

I don't blame him for taking his time; it's the officials' responsibility to hold him to the time rules. I do blame him for his explanations of why he takes so long.

[JPB]

How's your mind after adding two J.B.?

Officials who don't hit players with strokes and D.Q.s are waiving the rules of golf.