PGA Tour makes moves on slow play

After years of meticulous study and thousands of shots analyzed by ShotLink, and in light of a desire to keep the focus on the golf, the PGA TOUR is announcing major enhancements to its existing slow-play policy that will go into effect at the RBC Heritage in mid-April.

Fines will go up as much as tenfold, stroke penalties could be meted out more frequently, and individual players will be on notice that they’re on the slow list.

To that end, the TOUR will implement two major enhancements to deter slow play:

The Observation List – Historically, the slow-play policy has focused on groups being out of position. The Observation List will put additional focus on individuals whom ShotLink data has identified as the most egregiously slow players. Those players will go on and off the list based on a 10-tournament rolling period and will be subject to a 60-second average for all shots. If observed by a Rules Official to exceed this time, that player will be timed individually even if the group is in position.

Excessive Shot Times – Anyone in the field who takes more than 120 seconds to play a single shot, absent a good reason for doing so, will be given an Excessive Shot Time.

Additionally, fines and penalties for slow play have been enhanced significantly. Officials will now assess a one-stroke penalty for the second bad time in a tournament, not a round, and for every bad time thereafter in the same tournament. The fines for the second bad time in a season and for 10 cumulative timings in a season have also been raised to $50,000. The fine for a second bad time in a season currently is $5,000. individuals in addition to group position.