'It's Just Got To Get Better' - CBS Announcer Calls Out Slow Play At Farmers Insurance Open
On the grounds at Torrey Pines, CBS' Dottie Pepper criticised the pace of play during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, as the final group took three hours to complete their front nine


Slow play has been a big talking point in professional golf over the past few years and, at the Farmers Insurance Open, it reared its ugly head once again.
At Torrey Pines, the wind was up during the final round and, in terms of pace of play, it took the final group of Harris English, Andrew Novak and Aldrich Potgieter three hours to play their front nine, something that CBS' Dottie Pepper called out on broadcast.
.@Dottie_pepper PREACH 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/BebcTDyHP7January 25, 2025
Following the final group, who waited 15 minutes on the par 3 third hole on Saturday, Pepper stated on broadcast: "You know Frank (Nobilo), we're starting to need a new word to talk about this pace of play issue and its respect for your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasting. It's just got to get better."
After the statement, Nobilo could be heard saying "well said," with the majority of social media seemingly agreeing with Pepper's comments, as many took to X/Twitter to voice their appreciation of Pepper's call-out.
Amongst the comments, one user wrote: "The pace of play needs to change on a go forward basis," whilst another stated: "Pace of play is insanely slow. Wish the tour would enforce it more than they do."
The final group of the Farmers Insurance Open took four hours to play 13 holes on Saturday
At last week's The American Express, groups took a near 5.5 hours to complete their final rounds and, with the rise of TGL, some players like Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler have encouraged the element of a shot clock to help speed up proceedings.
However, speaking after his TGL side's victory against New York GC, Justin Thomas addressed the problem of slow play, stating: "You know, it's tough. Look, this is my 10th year on tour. I've been on the PAC a lot of years. We've talked about pace of play all 10 years...
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"Look, there definitely could be some things here and there that are done, but it's also -- I think there's, like, a Fan Forward survey that the Tour does with fans. They like harder golf courses, they like watching us play difficult places, but they want us to play faster, so those two don't go together. You've kind of got to pick and choose your battles."
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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