Bryson DeChambeau: Golfers ‘too scared to get exposed’ over pace of play

During Saturday’s third round of The Open Championship, Bryson DeChambeau’s group was put on the clock. When talking to reporters following the round, DeChambeau expressed his feelings on the issue.

It started with a reporter saying to DeChambeau, “Pace of play just never seems to be something that can get figured out.” He then began to ask his question, but only got as far as, “Is it one of those,” before DeChambeau shared his feelings while offering an idea.

“It’s very simple,” DeChambeau said. “It’s not difficult at all. You need to individually time everybody for their whole entire round. Very simple. Nobody wants to do it. Something that, because people are too scared to get exposed. Which I am an advocate for. I’d loved to be timed and I have no problem with that. My putting I’m more deliberate. I take more time on that. But when it comes to iron shots and off the tee, I’m pretty fast. Everybody plays a different style of game. And that’s just the way it is. I wish it was just, you know, a new system.

“I think it’d be more fair towards everybody,” DeChambeau continued. “You know, if somebody is playing slower, the guy can go up to him and say, ‘Hey, man. Like, you’re over par with your time. Because all you do is you just time him for every single shot that he gets there, puts the bag down and how long it takes him to hit that shot. And then how long it takes him to walk to the green. I mean, it’s not rocket science. You time how long someone take individually and then you separate that from the other person playing. You start-stop on them. The whole entire thing.”

DeChambeau also conceded that someone else might have a better idea but expressed his hope that “a better system” could be coming. He was then asked a follow up question.

“Do you think it’d make up that much time? Is there anything that would really make up that much time?”

“Yeah, I truly believe so,” DeChambeau replied. “Once you start penalizing individuals for consecutive over — taking too much time. I mean, I can tell you, the first two rounds, it was out of control, what I saw. It’s just, that’s the way people play. So, long story short, one day, I hope we can have a better system.”

Pace of play has been a concern on golf courses for as long as people have been playing the sport. It’s an issue on the public courses with weekend hackers as much as it’s an issue on tour. The difference, of course, is the stakes. For professional golfers, even those not in contention, every shot matters. One extra shot can cost a golfer thousands of dollars, World Golf Ranking points or Ryder Cup points.

Given how long pace of play has been an issue and that the problem doesn’t seem to be going away, or even decreasing, a new solution would be a good idea.