Jay Monahan Weighs In On Pace Of Play Debate: ‘We’re in the Entertainment Business’

Talk all you want about how LIV Golf may have changed the PGA Tour with the advent of Designated Events like Sunday’s Wells Fargo Championship, which saw Wyndham Clark win 50% of his all-time earnings on the tour in one event.

An off-handed comment by Masters runner-up and LIV pro Brooks Koepka about the slow play from the group in front of him—namely Patrick Cantlay—could change the tour as well.

The week after the Masters, Matt Fitzpatrick called the slow pace “a disgrace” at the RBC Heritage after winning it.

I came into the “pace of play” debate as a pretty blank slate, for good or bad, and some research plus spending the morning with Gary Young, the Tour’s pace of play czar, at the Wells Fargo, led to this piece: https://t.co/3CluOaW7wa

— Shane Ryan (Trustworthy) (@ShaneRyanHere) May 5, 2023

Prior to the Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow, Cantlay said that the shots—especially at the Masters—are high leverage and must be carefully considered due to the difficulty of the course conditions.

During the tournament, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan weighed in on the debate:

“We’re going to talk about it at our Player Advisory Council meeting. We get into places on the weekend where, you know, there’s a lot on the line. And I think those are the moments that frustrate fans, but at the same time, there is a lot on the line.” 

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan offered a surprising defense of slow play in pro golf.https://t.co/CQIaRkSS3A

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) May 5, 2023

Monahan added:

“We’re in the entertainment business. We’re on television. I would remind everyone that when we get into the 2024 season, these Designated Events are going to have player field sizes anywhere from the mid-60s to 80. If there’s anything that you can do to improve pace of play, that’s it.”

At the same time, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans ended almost 25 minutes before the end of the TV window, so don’t expect huge changes like Major League Baseball is going through this year with its new pitch clock. MLB’s changes shaved around 30 minutes off the time of an average game.

Cover Image Via Twitter