“We’ve been fighting that [slow play] for, God, ever since I grew up watching the game,” said an exasperated Tiger Woods in 2019. Not the first time, the 15-time major champion was vocal about the pace of play. In 2012, Woods suggested strict penalties—not in dough but in strokes—to curb slow play. “Strokes [are] money,” said the former world no. 1.
As a player, he couldn’t steamroll that decision over the entire cohort of PGA Tour pros. But now that the 48-year-old has his league, TGL, Woods and his buddy, Rory McIlroy were quick to walk the talk.
Entered shot clock. You get 40 seconds to hit a shot. Miss it and you get docked one stroke. Severe, you say? Well, vociferous slow-play critic Matt Fitzpatrick is on board, as are his teammates. The former US Open champ is part of TGL’s New York Golf Club. In a promotional event, former NFL quarterback, avid golfer, and New York Golf Club’s investor, Eli Manning, asked, “What about [the] shot clock? Is that scary or exciting?”
“I think that’s good for us,” the British international said after looking at his teammates. Now, the Englishman follows a meticulous note-taking routine himself. His yardage book is filled with scribbling about the grains and greens. But Fitzpatrick is one of the fastest players on the Tour, regardless.
The New York Golf Club’s roster includes Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, and Cameron Young. Appearing as gusts in the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (Fallon is another investor in the TGL franchise), Fitzpatrick & Co. emphasized shot clock won’t cause any headaches for them.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s support for the shot clock wasn’t really surprising. The 2023 RBC Heritage champion has never pulled the punches when it came to slow play. Even recently, the 30-year-old tweeted in support of Lucas Glover, who lambasted the PGA Tour’s recent changes.
Matt Fitzpatrick lamented the PGA Tour’s lack of sincerity in curbing slow playThe PGA Tour Policy Board has approved the controversial changes to overhaul the structure of the Tour in 2026. The 156-player field will now be reduced to 144, 132, and, in some cases, 120. The rationale was that reducing field size would allow events to be wrapped up in time instead of spilling over to the next day.
USA Today via Reuters
For the record, the PGA Tour has only twice penalized players for bad time, according to Golf journalist, Matt Vincenzi. The last one of them came in the 2011 Zurich Classic. Fitzpatrick’s frustration was understandable. More so, because like Woods, Fitzpatrick too believes slow play is the elephant in the room that no one is willing to address.
Here is what he said on slow play last year after winning the RBC Heritage: “It’s a disgrace… it’s truly appalling… It’s like hitting your head against a brick wall.” Matt Fitzpatrick continued, “The problem is this conversation has gone on for years and years and years, and no one has ever done anything, so I feel it’s almost a waste of time talking about it. I have strong opinions, but no one’s going to do anything about it.”
Well, TGL finally has, and Matt Fitzpatrick has reasons to be happy. The innovative league will tee off in ESPN primetime on January 7. Fitzpatrick’s New York Golf Club will face the Bay Golf Club in the inaugural match.
