Jordan Spieth gets warning for playing too slow from EPGA

The first scapegoat of the European PGA, which seeks to remove ‘golfers playing too slowly,’ was Jordan Spieth (23) of the U.S., who ranked first in world rankings.

In the first round of the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Spieth received a warning that he ‘played too slow’ from the EPGA Tour. On the previous day, the EPGA Tour decided to require a player who plays his first shot to play within 50 seconds in each group, and the following players to play within 40 seconds in order to prevent delays in proceeding of competition. The EPGA decided to levy US 2,800 dollars in fine on a player who violates the time restriction twice, and to publicize his name as well.

According to the U.S. sports channel ESPN, Spieth, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), and Rickie Fowler (US), who were in the same group, were informed by a referee that play time was being measured, when they were moving to Hole 4. The referee thus warned of slow proceeding to the group including Spieth. While playing putting shot at Hole 8, Spieth was issued the violation of slow play on the ground that he exceeded the time restriction. Spieth refuted, “I can hardly understand the decision. Since the next group did not even arrive at the fairway, it is nonsense to claim that our group was progressing slowly.” Spieth only tied for seventh (4 under par), and lost in a race of self-confidence with his rival McIlroy (six under par, tied for third) on the day.

Slow players are headache both in the East and the West for not only professionals but also weekend golfers at golf courses. In a survey of weekend golfers by Golf Magazine in the U.S., 64 percent of respondents singled out slow play as the ‘most upsetting thing at a golf course.’ The U.S. PGA advised that 30 to 45 seconds is the most appropriate time between the moment of picking a club to that of playing shot’ as an etiquette for amateur golfers to follow.

Notably, acts that unnecessarily delay proceeding of the game at a professional golf tour weakens rival players’ sense of play, and make gallery and viewers of the game on TV angry and bored. For this reason, tours of different countries and regions put in place regulations designed to prevent slow play. The PGA Tour allows 60 seconds to the first player at tee shot at a 3-par hole, and 40 second to the next players. Kevin Na, a Korean American who is active in the PGA Tour, was deridingly booed by gallery who urged him to ‘shoot immediately’ and ‘pull the trigger’ due to his ‘waggling,’ which he habitually would do as many as 24 times sometimes.

The Korean pro golf community is also aggressively pushing to kick out slow-moving ‘turtle golfers.’ The KLPGA Tour divided tee-off time into morning and afternoon to eradicate slow play, and is handing out fine, penalty par, and suspension from competitions to players who slowly proceed during the race.

Jeon in-ji, who garnered the most wins and was the top earner in prize money last season, was given penalty shot and 300,000 won (250 dollars) in fine for violating the rule that obliges a golfer to play within 40 seconds in the first round of the Lotte Mart Open at the Lotte Sky Hill Country Club in Seogwipo, Jeju last year. Kim Hyo-joo and Lee Jeong-min was in media spotlight because they were seen running towards the next shot point on TV. As a result, the KLPGA Tour has reduced the average total play time from up to six hours to around 4 hours and 30 minutes. The KPGA Tour also imposes time restrictions that require the first player to play within 50 seconds, and the next players within 40 seconds.

정윤철기자 trigger@donga.com