R and A says get moving

[Cliff Hamm]

Spieth and Kucher were told to pick up their pace.  Bones was asked about this and replied that last year he was asked to tell Mickelson/Stenson to close the gap and catch the group ahead.  He replied 'no way'.


I hate slow play both as a participant and spectator. The last couple of pro tournaments I've been to have been unenjoyable because of the long waits between groups.  Pro golf needs to begin to penalize golfers for their slow play.  Spieth is ridiculous how long he takes to putt.


That being said the R and A is wrong here.  They're the last group in essentially match play, unless they both blow it, to win the British Open. It is simply not the time to tell them to speed up.

[Cliff Hamm]

As disaster strikes, watching how long it is taking Spieth, perhaps a penalty would be warranated..

[Tony_Muldoon]

Give one or both of them a penalty, would make players notice.




Jordan is currently seeking a drop and so far I'e bought a club on eBay and made a cup of coffee.....






PIAIFL!

[John Kavanaugh]

I had to duck into Sunday Mass and only missed a hole and a half. Perfect timing.

[Michael Tamburrini]

The R&A come off as pathetically weak in that anecdote.  If they are going to penalise a group for slow play they should do it themselves, not mumble something to a caddy and expect him to pass it on.


It being the last group is no reason to not penalise players though.  The game is always played at the pace of the slowest player.  If you say "they're not holding anyone up" then you give licence to a player to slow things as much as they like. 

[Tony_Muldoon]

The R&A come off as pathetically weak in that anecdote.  If they are going to penalise a group for slow play they should do it themselves, not mumble something to a caddy and expect him to pass it on.


It being the last group is no reason to not penalise players though.  The game is always played at the pace of the slowest player.  If you say "they're not holding anyone up" then you give licence to a player to slow things as much as they like.

Mr McGinley onSky said it was right to put them on the clock as it was protecting the field.  Damn right.

[Mark Pearce]

That being said the R and A is wrong here.  They're the last group in essentially match play, unless they both blow it, to win the British Open. It is simply not the time to tell them to speed up.

Rubbish.  Slow play is slow play, whether you are out first or last.  Why should the leaders get more time
?

[Cliff Hamm]

Ok, what was the purpose of them being told to pick up the pace and if anything it only became slower due to Spieth's wild drive? If you're going to give a warning  with no consequence and the players ignore, it serves no purpose. Better to say nothing.

[Mark Chaplin]

Having seen R&A referees in action, I simply do not believe Bones was asked to pass on a message from the referee with the group regarding speed of play.

[Adam_Messix]

Did anyone notice how quickly Jordan Speith putted on 17?  I think the issue is that he gets way too analytical about this stuff and it gets him trouble.  Just look at the back offs on the putts on the front nine and the bad strokes he put on those putts.

It was an amazing turnaround and he deserves our congratulations on the victory.   

[Jim Nugent]

Anyone know how long it took Jordan to finish his round today?

[Ben Sims]

After the shenanigans on 13, my wife made the casual observation that it seemed like the final group really came in quickly. She said it was much faster than the usual Sunday afternoon major championship procession.

[Carl Rogers]

I hate slow play too, but if a player lost s tournament, through a slow play penalty, the viewing public would be outraged.

[James Brown]

Anyone know how long it took Jordan to finish his round today?

About the same it took my leisurely twosome to play with a cart at about 3:40 today.  When we teed off Speith was on 2 green and he finished as we finished 17 green.


Pace of play debates about the final group in a major when in contention with 20,000 fans on every hole seem ridiculous to me. 

[Wade Whitehead]

Tournaments are desperate for "brand name" champions.  It's why Rahm was allowed to break the rules a couple of weeks ago (and is why Tiger wasn't penalized for his illegal drop at Augusta a few years back).

It took Speith and Kuchar more than 30 minutes to play one hole.  Does anyone think the R&A would tolerate the same from two unknown qualifiers on Thursday morning?

WW

[Greg Chambers]

Well, luckily for those of us who were fortunate enough to watch it on NBC...it was impossible to actually tell what was slow play vs their need to interject a commercial break every two golf shots...

[David_Tepper]

"It took Speith and Kuchar more than 30 minutes to play one hole."

Wade W. -

I don't see what happened on the 13th hole as a "slow play" issue at all. It was certainly not Kuchar's fault  it took 30 minutes to play that hole.

It was a very complicated rules situation. Spieth was entitled to examine to the fullest extent what his options were. He was not changing clubs, discussing his line with his caddy or backing off to re-read a putt or 3 times. Once he decided where to play his shot from, he finished the hole at an acceptable pace.

Personally, I am surprised the R&A had not staked out the practice ground and the area where the tour vans were parked as out of bounds. But it was not Spieth's fault and I fail to see how you can blame him for reviewing all the options available to him.

Then again, the car park area Seve played from when he won the 1st time at Royal Lytham was not staked as OB either.

It was the most exciting, compelling golf I have watched in a long time.
 
DT 

[noonan]

"It took Speith and Kuchar more than 30 minutes to play one hole."

Wade W. -

I don't see what happened on the 13th hole as a "slow play" issue at all. It was certainly not Kuchar's fault  it took 30 minutes to play that hole.

It was a very complicated rules situation. Spieth was entitled to examine to the fullest extent what his options were. He was not changing clubs, discussing his line with his caddy or backing off to re-read a putt or 3 times. Once he decided where to play his shot from, he finished the hole at an acceptable pace.

Personally, I am surprised the R&A had not staked out the practice ground and the area where the tour vans were parked as out of bounds. But it was not Spieth's fault and I fail to see how you can blame him for reviewing all the options available to him.

Then again, the car park area Seve played from when he won the 1st time at Royal Lytham was not staked as OB either.

It was the most exciting, compelling golf I have watched in a long time.
 
DT

Agree

[Tony_Muldoon]

"It took Speith and Kuchar more than 30 minutes to play one hole."

 Spieth was entitled to examine to the fullest extent what his options were.


 
DT

"to the fullest extent" fills me with horror. Their wil lbe Coaches everywhere telling their students never rush, never pay heed to outside pressure, take as long as you like....




Just because it turned out the way it did, it does not make it right.


If he'd had 40 seconds to make his decision and another 40 seconds to take a drop...


he'd have gone back to the tee.  He'd still have had the chance to perform his heroics.




Kuchar wouldn't have had to contend with 20 mins of HIS mind going ballistic. And millions of people would all live 20 mins longer.


It's a game and should be played as one.




He should also take flack for not hitting a provisional, as professionals have a responsibility to display the correct etiquette.

[Thomas Dai]

Just imagine if the very first group on the Thurs morning had a similar situation on the 13th hole.
All 150+ players would have backed-up.
Would the field have been even able to finish before running out of daylight with some players having to come back for a few holes the next morning?
I wonder if any tweaks regarding internal OB, hazards markings, drop zones etc will be put in place for future years?
Next year is Carnoustie - remember 1999 - long rough = difficulty in finding balls = lost time.
atb

[Sean_A]

I am bewildered that folks suggest the rules should be different for the last group.  Rules shouldn't be applied willy nilly. To me, Speith taking 30 minutes to play a hole was a very selfish act and demonstrated no regard for his playing partner.  But the rules allowed for such craziness so long as the group was able to get back into time position.  To not enforce that time position makes it all a mockery.  I was bored with the massive delay and I was only watching the highlights!

Ciao 

[Mike Sweeney]

To me, Speith taking 30 minutes to play a hole was a very selfish act and demonstrated no regard for his playing partner. 

This is where there needs to be a bi-fircation of the rules. Professional golf, amateur golf, and club golf need separate rules. It should be taken OUT of the hands of players in professional tournaments. I expected to see an issue with Jordan Spieth this morning as I was watching that hole at a crowded restaurant, but I see nothing:


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-4722770/Jordan-Spieth-plays-shot-Royal-Birkdale-driving-range.html


There is no way to have a consistent view of "regard for his playing partner" as each player will view this differently. 30 minutes or 28 minutes? Which is fair? Make a Committee or a Czar the Ruler at each tournament, and let's have some clear rules for someone to rule on them consistently.


I really like Jordan Spieth, but he is hard to watch. I really really like golf, and the slow play is nuts. Put Jordan (and all players) on a real clock, those decisions on #13 get more pressure, and we have more interesting golf to watch.

[Tim Martin]

To me, Speith taking 30 minutes to play a hole was a very selfish act and demonstrated no regard for his playing partner. 

This is where there needs to be a bi-fircation of the rules. Professional golf, amateur golf, and club golf need separate rules. It should be taken OUT of the hands of players in professional tournaments. I expected to see an issue with Jordan Spieth this morning as I was watching that hole at a crowded restaurant, but I see nothing:


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-4722770/Jordan-Spieth-plays-shot-Royal-Birkdale-driving-range.html


There is no way to have a consistent view of "regard for his playing partner" as each player will view this differently. 30 minutes or 28 minutes? Which is fair? Make a Committee or a Czar the Ruler at each tournament, and let's have some clear rules for someone to rule on them consistently.


I really like Jordan Spieth, but he is hard to watch. I really really like golf, and the slow play is nuts. Put Jordan (and all players) on a real clock, those decisions on #13 get more pressure, and we have more interesting golf to watch.

I think Mike Sweeney zeroes in on the issue. I have been watching Speith play since his U.S. Junior days and he is incredibly likeable but incredibly slow. The governing bodies have to speed things up and apply the rule equally across everyone in the field. Like any change players will become acclimated and proceed accordingly. 

[Wayne_Kozun]

It was the most exciting, compelling golf I have watched in a long time.
 
DT

It was fun to watch but not nearly as compelling as last year's dual between Stenson and Mickelson.

[Niall C]

Wayne
 
I agree with regards to the comparison from last year and this. Of course, as a euro, I had someone to shout for last year although in truth I wouldn’t have been that unhappy if Michelson had won as he was a credit to himself and the game.


This year was very good but you felt that Kuchar only had one gear which was to plod along, and that once Speith survived his car crash and moved up through the gears there was really only ever going to be one outcome. That might sound a tad disparaging to Kuchar, after all he did put himself into the position of leading the Open with only a few holes to go, but that was more to do with Speith’s bad play on the day than his great play.


So well done Jordan, HOWEVER I totally agree with the comments about the terrible pace of play. It detracted greatly from play as a viewing spectacle. Maybe it was coincidence but once Speith played from the practice ground and started hurrying up to make up time he started to play better. Perhaps there is a lesson there.
 
Niall