Major champion admits he’s one of the slowest players on the PGA Tour
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The two-time major champion is in favor of slow players being named and shamed – even though he’s one of them.
Slow play has been a hot topic in professional golf for years. Whether it’s rounds dragging on for six hours or the tours failing to take effective action, it’s a problem that frustrates fans, fellow players, and officials alike. And now, one of the biggest names on the PGA Tour is owning up to the fact that he’s part of the issue.
“I’m the first to admit – I mean, I’m on the slow side of players,” says Justin Thomas. “It bothers me.”
It’s rare and therefore refreshing to hear a top player acknowledge their pace of play, but Thomas isn’t shying away from the conversation. In fact, he’s even backing the idea of publicly naming and shaming slow players, which is something the PGA Tour is considering as part of new pace-of-play policies.
The PGA Tour’s plan to call out slow players
The PGA Tour has been feeling the heat when it comes to slow play, and Commissioner Jay Monahan recently revealed that new measures are being introduced to address the issue. One of the biggest changes could be publicly listing players who consistently take too long. Whether that means posting it in locker rooms or making the names fully public remains to be seen, but Thomas thinks just the threat of it could be enough to speed things up.
“If we put it in the locker room or put it out, which would obviously end up getting out, nobody wants to be known as that,” Thomas explained. He believes that players seeing their names on a slow-play list could serve as a wake-up call.
The idea of public accountability in golf isn’t new. The European Tour (now the DP World Tour) experimented with publicly tracking players’ pace of play back in 2020, and it generated plenty of discussion. However, the PGA Tour has historically been more private about slow-play issues, rarely penalizing players despite complaints from fans and competitors.
Thomas wants to improve – but he knows it’s a hard habit to break
Unlike some players who get defensive when called out for slow play, Thomas seems to be taking a more constructive approach. He’s actually been speaking with Tour officials to understand why he’s slower than some of his peers.
“I don’t think I’m an overly slow player,” he said, “but I’ve asked them, like, ‘Hey, am I? And, if so, what is it? What do I need to be better at?’”
That level of self-awareness is refreshing, especially in a sport where most players seem reluctant to change their routines. Thomas isn’t necessarily going to start rushing his shots – and nor should he – but the fact he’s willing to acknowledge the issue and work on it sets him apart from others who might ignore the problem entirely.
I find it a bit hard to believe that he needs someone else to tell him what makes him slow and how he can improve it, but will give him the benefit of the doubt and hope for signs of improvement.
Will the PGA Tour finally get tough on slow play?
Slow play has been a persistent issue on Tour, but enforcement has been inconsistent at best. While a few players have received penalty strokes for slow play – most notably John Catlin on the DP World Tour and, more famously, a 14-year-old Guan Tianlang at the 2013 Masters – it’s extremely rare. Instead, the Tour has largely relied on warnings and fines, which don’t seem to be much of a deterrent.
Would naming and shaming make a difference? It’s hard to say. There are plenty of players that everyone already knows are heinously slow but their snail-like pace of play being public knowledge clearly hasn’t made them change their ways.
Warnings and fines seem to have little impact, which is unsurprising given the amounts are puny compared to the prize money and sponsorship players take home.
The only thing I can see really making a difference would be penalty shots. That would have a direct impact on a player’s earnings and their career. It could mean the difference between winning and finishing fifth. That in turn could have a knock-on effect on world rankings, on major and Signature Event eligibility, and even on Ryder Cup qualification.
For now, Thomas is embracing the accountability, even if it means he might be one of the names getting called out. The real question is whether other slow players will do the same or will push back against the Tour’s new approach. And, more importantly, whether it will make any difference to the pace of play.
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Two-time major champion Justin Thomas is in favor of slow players being named and shamed – even though he's one of them.
