Golf’s speed of play debate reignites during Australian PGA after player penalty for slow play

A seminal moment during the Australian PGA sent hearts aflutter across the wider golfing world, leading to the likes of Aussie star Cameron Davis weighing in on one of the sport’s biggest ongoing debates.

When it comes to golf and the time to take your next shot, how long is too long?

It’s a question that has plagued professional golf for years, and has come sharply into focus in the past fortnight.

Feisty Englishwoman Charley Hull, renowned for her habit of smoking between shots on course and trying to speed up the game, suggested dithering players should lose their tour card – their right to earn money – if they are repeat offenders.

That might be a little drastic, but she wanted to make a point.

The world’s biggest tours have loosely handed out fines for players who take longer than they should, but rarely do officials hit players where it hurts most for not playing at a decent speed: docking them strokes in a tournament.

But there was a seminal moment in the Australian PGA this week when Danish star Jacob Skov Olesen, playing his first tournament as a professional, was penalised for being too slow during the 10th hole of the first round.

Charley Hull has suggested more severe punishments for players who dither on the course. Picture: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

The decision sent hearts aflutter across the wider golfing world. Were the tours going to finally get serious about slow play? About to stop the scourge of players taking well beyond five hours to complete a round?

Olesen explained his group were told they were being monitored for slow play on the ninth hole.

“We were six minutes behind,” said Olesen, who rejected an invitation to The Masters next year to turn professional and play on the DP World Tour.

“I had a shot on 10, and at first, I had a club. Then the wind picked up so I switched to a different club. It was a tough shot.

“Then as I was about to hit, I had a leaf blow on my ball. I stepped away and reset my routine. It all added up to some time.”

That time was 130 seconds. The rules state once it’s a player’s turn, they should take 40 seconds. He was told at the green he would have to add one shot to his score on the hole.

Was Olesen surprised he was sanctioned for the misstep, in treacherous conditions earlier in the tournament?

Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark was penalised for being too slow during the 10th hole of the first round of the Australian PGA. Picture: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

“A little bit,” he said. “I figured there would be a warning, but I hadn’t read the rules fully through. I should have known. We move on and it didn’t end up costing me anything in the end.

“The rules are the rules and they’re in place. It’s up to me to know the situation and we’ll do better from now on.”

The penalty didn’t really have a significant impact as Olesen struggled with a 75-73 to comfortably miss the cut at Royal Queensland.

But his drama has suddenly put the issue of tortuous rounds back on the professional golf agenda.

“A lot of the guys that are doing very well tend to take a lot of time,” Australian PGA Tour star Cameron Davis said. “It tries to balance out that they hit less shots, but take a bit more time.

“Even as a player, playing more than five hours is a very slow round. If the pace was quicker, I’d be just fine.

“It’s a touchy subject. I feel like everyone wins if things get faster. You get to see more golf, and it’s not as much of a drag as watching from outside the ropes as well as on TV.”