Slow Play Solution: It's Time To Eliminate Playing Opportunities
;)
I see on the Twittersphere that Kevin Na is taking a beating for his Sunday pace at Riviera, but I must say that J.B. Holmes, who played in the last group Saturday, may actually be slower. He definitely is on the greens. But that's beside the point.
The real problem at the Northern Trust Open and other West Coast events: field size in winter.
144 players start the week, and it's been years since the first round actually ended on Thursday. And the last time it happened, as luck would have it, an electronic scoreboard lit up the final green to help guys finish.
Last year at Riviera, they cut the field to 132 players because of the earlier date and shorter days. Play was faster. Not great, but faster.
This year I believe 78 made the cut. With shorter days and television demanding a certain finish time, that means threesomes on the weekend off split tees. There is no answer to this problem, except having a smaller number of players make the cut would help.
Either way, the players have proven they will not speed up voluntarily. The Commissioner has made it clear that he believes a few precedent setting two-shot penalties for slow play are unnecessary. Therefore, as much as I hate the idea, it's become clear that field sizes must be reduced to speed up play because the players and tour leader won't otherwise do anything about it. Sad, but this is what it's come to.
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 11:21 AM 28 Comments | in 2011 Northern Trust Open, PGA Tour, Slow Play, Tim Finchem
Reader Comments (28)
Perhaps they could start them a bit earlier (30-45 minutes) on the weekend. Yes you would take the chance play ends early. So what if you have a little time to fill. Have some interviews with players, run a few more promos, set up the final days play, etc. Isn't that a better alternative than to not show the conclusion of play unless it involves TW?
Sadly penalizing players is the only way to go but the PGA is gutless to actually do that. 2 strokes for each infraction would hit them in the pocket book, the FEC points list and world ranking points. Long overdue for this to happen.
Code: I'm afraid of the blowback from people I need.
Another great moment in leadership from little Timmy- scared of Kevin Na.
Good going Badds. It couldn't been fun playing Stewart Cink to Couples' Tom Watson. You drove the ball well. I guess that those Riviera fairways looked wide compared to Desert Forest. And nice job doing your part to keep the pace of play going!
Did his group have an open hole in front of them on the back 9 yesterday?
I think the TV coverage of it (which diminished as the round proceeded) is being dissed as well, through osmosis.
Yeah, the slow play is absurd and it was a pleasure to FF through their preshot rituals.
Which only means a number of Na/Holmes like players were clogging things up from the git go.
I like the idea of a reduced weekend field. Peer pressure can be a powerful thing...and that prospect would not go over well.
The bottom line is Fuchtem doesn't care and clearly has no intention of doing anything about the issue.
It always occurs to me during the Hawaii events and the West Coast Swing; if the Tour owned Golf Channel and/or was not trying to accomodate the broadcast networks and their obsession with the Eastern Time Zone, we could watch more prime-time golf. I love being able to watch live golf in prime time.
In fact, in the 90's there was a push to make the fields significantly smaller (128 I believe). This was led by Jeff Sluman, Lanny,
And a few others I can't remember). The argument was that pace of play would improve, and the product would be better.
Brandel Chamblee, then a non exempt player, stood up in a raucous player's meeting, grabbed the mic, and rattled off the pace of play for Colonial, Bay Hill and one other invitational, which all had 128 or smaller fields. They also, have all exempt players for the most part in that number. Pace of play stats were no different or worse in a few cases.
This is a bit of a simple question; did they run threesomes on the weekend, in order to finish at a desired time in the Eastern Time Zone?
It always occurs to me during the Hawaii events and the West Coast Swing; if the Tour owned Golf Channel and/or was not trying to accomodate the broadcast networks and their obsession with the Eastern Time Zone, we could watch more prime-time golf. I love being able to watch live golf in prime time
If Finchem created a new set of rules with strict pace of play times/checkpoints and also instructed officials to be hair trigger quick in putting players on the clock and handing out penalties -- Kevin Na and all others would adjust accordingly.
Supposedly Finchem works for the players. I suspect many of us don't believe he knows this. Setting that aside, do we think Finchem has made his own mind up on the slow play thing? Or have the players sent a clear message to Finchem of "don't screw with us on slow play, or else"...? fatgoalie?
I liked you better when you were calling them the rudest golfers on the planet.
now that's just silly.....:)
Finchem, definitely does NOT work for the players. Especially in his mind. He's supposed to, but......
From 1990 through 2001 (when I stopped) pace of play was bitched about, complained,
fixed, re fiexed, and fixed again.
Would not say it is the players always, but ALL parties have shown an amazing reluctance to let our officials,
who I believe were awesome, the leeway to put ONE slow assed player on the clock, or simply nail a slow player
with a 1 shot penalty. Really have no answer why, just seems like the topic to complain about, but the simplest fix
(getting on the SLOW guys) is never addressed.
The Na, Couples, Badds group was a hole behind from the 6th through the 14th, with a slight catch up at the turn when play backs up at 10.
I could go on about the 5th, where Na blew his drive way right and needed to shape it around some trees. I was standing next to him and his caddie taking in the discussion...all 4 minutes of it...
All in all, Na really seems like a super duper nice guy, but I cannot stand watching him play golf.
Tour championship was fun too, Casey's (who had been playing with him) interview was good too, sure they cut it with shots of Na smashing his 4 iron into the tee box.