There Have Been No Slow Play Shot Penalties On The PGA Tour Since 2017. Does It Need A New Pace-Of-Play Policy (And What Should It Be)?

Current World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler wasn’t even born the last time an individual was handed a scoring penalty for slow play on the PGA Tour.

After the third round of the 1995 Honda Classic, Glen Day was penalised one stroke for slow play violations and his score changed from 71 to 72.

It’s so long ago that when asked about it more recently, Day couldn’t recall the details of what had happened. In that event, Day eventually finished 10 behind tournament winner Mark O’Meara – who complained about slow play during the competition!

Day was famous for being a little deliberate on the golf course. In fact, the great Jack Nicklaus once referred to him as “Glen ‘All’ Day.”

The Day incident wasn’t the last time a slow play penalty was handed out by the PGA Tour – it has happened more recently in a team event. In the first round of the 2017 Zurich Classic pairs event, Brian Campbell and Miguel Angel Carballo received a one-stroke penalty for a second bad time. They opened with 74 and missed the cut.

It wasn't officiated by the PGA Tour, but in the 2013 Masters, Guan Tianlang was penalised a shot for slow play. The 14-year-old Chinese amateur received a bad time on the 17^th hole of his second round but still made the cut. He finished 58^th.

That seems to be a theme of the very rare slow play stroke penalties that are handed out - when they are (infrequently) applied, it tends to be to players who are not in contention.

Which rules official/s would be willing to step in and throw in a one-stroke penalty that altered the outcome of a Major Championship?

The fact that it’s so rare for slow play stroke penalties to be given would suggest that slow play is not a problem on the PGA Tour. And, on the face of it, statistics corroborate that.

The target time for 18 holes on the PGA Tour varies by venue. Of course it does. Depending on the layout of the course, the length and difficulty of the course and the distance between tees and greens, more or less time will be allowed.

But the average target round time on the PGA Tour is four hours and 45 minutes.

In 2025, the median round tee time for rounds played on the PGA Tour was four hours and 46 minutes. So, overall, they’re playing as quickly as they’re expected to (near as damn it).

As a whole, the players do adhere to the pace-of-play policy: they are warned about being out of position when they are behind, if they don’t get back into position they are put on the clock, on which they should take 50 seconds per shot if they’re first to play and 40 seconds if they aren’t first to play. Two bad times and they would receive a one-stroke penalty.

Players might be slow (some more than others) but they speed up quickly when they are warned, so they never receive one of those penalties.

There are various financial penalties for cumulative warnings through the season, but, as we know, most PGA Tour players aren’t too worried about financial penalties. They’ll take them on the chin.

But, to avoid stroke penalties, they speed up when told to and they make it round, pretty much, within the recommended time limit. They are professionals and they will take every advantage they can get without compromising their score.

The 'problem' of slow play is still much talked about, though - spectators, commentators and players themselves continue to complain about it.

What’s going on then? The players are not being penalised as they’re adhering to the rules. The issue around slow play on the PGA Tour is this: four hours and 45 minutes is too long an average target time for players taking 70 shots per round to complete 18 holes...

I was a referee at Regional Open Qualifying this year at Craigielaw, where target time for 18 holes was four hours and 16 minutes.

I only had to advise a few groups they were out of position, and they quickly got themselves back into position. By the end of the day (it’s a long old day for Regional Qualifying, with players teeing off from 7am to 3.30pm), the average round time was pretty much bang on the target (just a few minutes off) and only a couple of groups had been put on the clock.

The average standard of play was considerably lower than on the PGA Tour, so more shots were being taken. There were more lost balls, and more searching for balls than in a tour event. But the players took as long as they were given to avoid penalty. Nobody complained about having to rush!

If the PGA Tour gave the players less time to complete their rounds – say an average of four hours and 20 minutes – I think they would match it (or come close to it). At first, there would be more groups given warnings for being out of position, and more groups being put on the clock.

But they would quickly get used to a brisker pace of play – walking more swiftly between shots and less general dawdling.

I don’t think there’d be a requirement to alter the allowed shot times too much. If you time it, 40 seconds from it being your turn to striking the ball isn’t ridiculous. Although it could be five seconds less, I would say, so shot-time allowance could be reduced to 35 seconds.

I really think that if the target times were reduced and players had to adhere to them or else be told they had fallen 'out of position' and face possible penalties, we would see play speed up accordingly. As I say, these guys are professionals and they will do what it takes to avoid unnecessary penalties.

And the PGA Tour players are among the best in the world. If they take an average of 70 shots per round and are given 35 seconds per shot each, that’s just over two hours for each three-ball to play all their shots.

If the target time for a round were to become four hours and 20 minutes, that would leave two hours and 15 minutes of walking time. For PGA Tour athletes, that should be plenty.

To speed up play on the PGA Tour, target times should be reduced and allowed shot time reduced marginally. The players will speed up accordingly to avoid penalty. Professional golfers will take the time they are given. Give them less and they will speed up.