The American says he has sped up since his early days after angering TV commentators and fans on social media
JB Holmes Responds After Slow Play Criticisms
JB Holmes won his fifth PGA Tour title at the Genesis Open but was roasted on social media over his slow play.
It was a brilliant win the for the 36-year-old who hadn’t tasted victory on the PGA Tour in almost four years after winning the 2015 Houston Open.
He ground out a one under par 70 on the final day to beat World No.4 Justin Thomas by a single stroke.
Holmes underwent brain surgery in 2011 and has suffered with elbow and ankle injuries too in previous years so this victory is a real plus for him after a dry spell since his 2016 Ryder Cup appearance.
WATCH: 9 Tips To Beat Slow Play
The week also saw him make a hole-in-one during the tournament so congratulations must go to the two-time Ryder Cupper.
However, the American has never been known for his speedy play and this clip below shows what many fans were unhappy about during the final round of the Genesis Open, with Holmes taking 1 minute, 10 seconds to hit a putt:
JB Holmes takes an eternity to putt pic.twitter.com/uiAS1eBpEF
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) February 17, 2019
PGA Tour Pro Zac Blair replied to this video on social media, describing it as “ridiculous and like beyond disrespectful to your playing partners and golf in general.”
JB Holmes was also criticised last year at the Farmers Insurance Open where he took 4 minutes to hit a lay up on the par-5 18th.
He was then criticised again this week during his victory for his slow play which included backing off shots and plenty of deliberation with his caddie.
However, he responded after play, blaming the 25mph wind gusts and the fact that he was playing for lots of money and points.
“Well, you play in 25 mph gusty winds and see how fast you play when you’re playing for the kind of money and points and everything that we’re playing for,” Holmes said.
“You can’t just get up there and whack it when it’s blowing that hard.
“Yeah, when I first got out here I was really slow. But I’ve sped up quite a bit.
“I’ve gotten better. There’s times when I’m probably too slow, but it is what it is. I was never on the clock. Never even got a warning. TV wants everything to be real fast all the time.”
US Commentator and coach to Paul Casey, Peter Kostis, said on air whilst walking the course: “The issue I have with that is not that he’s doing that, it’s that he had plenty of time to do that while Justin was getting ready for his shot or Adam was getting ready for his shot.
“And he waited until it was his turn to play to go through his whole routine.”
Ian Baker-Finch said on US TV whilst Holmes was getting ready to play, “This is just where J.B. takes so long to get ready, to get the feeling right.
“It could have been done when Adam Scott was playing.”
Holmes won just over $1.3m for his victory and moves up to 42nd in the world.
Did you watch the golf last night? Let us know your thoughts on the slow play on our social media channels.
So JB Holmes crawled to victory last night. I see tweets that JB not the fastest player.
Both @PGATOUR & @EuropeanTour officials know who the slow players are but rules they play by means group has to be out of position before group go on clock.
That needs to change.
— Denis Pugh (@Dpugh54) February 18, 2019
love to stay up + see who wins the golf from Riv but I gotta go to bed…Feels like I’ve been up for about 48 hours watching the final round..poor old Scotty is gonna be eligible for the Champions Tour after he taps in on 18..shame, it’s fun to watch the guys in these conditions
— Nick Dougherty (@NickDougherty5) February 17, 2019
Congratulations JB Holmes, who ground down his fellow competitors, spectators, marshals, TV viewers and TV commentators to win the Genesis Open. How slow can you go? Majestic.
— Tweeter Alliss (@TweeterAlliss) February 18, 2019
I think for the first time in the existence of Twitter, we as a group are 100 percent in agreement on something; slow golf stinks. Way to go everyone! We did it!!
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) February 17, 2019
Instead of a 2-year exemption for winning, JB Holmes should get a 2-year suspension for slow-playing the field.
— Scott Michaux (@ScottMichaux) February 18, 2019
I’ve heard stories about Arnold Palmer telling slow players to hurry up … we need some big names to start telling people to pick up the pace … I’ve played with a few guys this year that have been painful to watch operate #DoBetter
— Zac Blair (@z_blair) February 18, 2019
No need for ShotTracer on 18. To borrow a line from Peter Alliss, by the time JB hits it Gauguin could have painted it.
— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) February 18, 2019
For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels