PGA viewership has been moving downhill over the last few years. The Saturday and Sunday viewership in 2024 was down 17% and 19% respectively compared to 2023. In this day and age, the slow pace of play at the PGA Tour and other tournaments has not been particularly enticing for viewers. Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour repeatedly asked organizers to make changes to increase golf’s speed. Yet, nothing seems to work.

The American Insurance Open winner Sepp Straka took nearly 5 hours and 39 minutes to finish his final round of golf. It drew heavy criticism from the golfing fans. Most people believed the pace to pick up at The Farmers Insurance Open. But that was not the case.

Many golfers, including eventual winner Harris English, received criticism for the slow play on display. Dottie Pepper, former LPGA Pro and current CBS reporter, followed the final group containing Harris English, Andrew Novak, and Aldrich Potgieter. Cameras caught her fuming with the time taken by the golfers to go about their business.

Talking to her broadcast teammate Frank Nobilo, she was very candid about her distaste for the snail’s pace that was being displayed. “You know, Frank, I think we’re starting to need a new word to talk about this pace of play issue, and it’s respect,” she stated before adding, “For your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it. It’s just gotta get better.“

Her teammate agreed on the apt statement and what Pepper did was highlight the issue plaguing the sport. And now, two-time Major winner Bob Estes has also taken to X to call out the pace of play at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Bob Estes replied to a tweet by Skratch representative Ryan Barath that the final group is “averaging close to 3 holes per hour!!” The former American Pro golfer replied the time allowed by the PGA Tour to complete the final round was way longer than necessary. Estes said, “The Tour allowed 5 hours and 49 minutes to complete the final round.” It meant players could deliberately slow the play knowing that there remains significant time on the clock.

According to Estes, “most golf fans would agree that 4:49 is too long,” considering that there were 70 players who made the cut. Fans and stakeholders agree regarding the verdict. They want the PGA Tour to address the issue directly and solve it.

There are ways to deal with the slow pace of play internally and Bob Estes knows it very well.

The pace of play is not a new problem in the PGA Tour

Many years ago, Estes was playing a round of golf with the outspoken Fulton Allem. The slow pace of play on display irked Allem. It triggered him so much so that, while finishing the game, Allem scribbled “You’re too slow” across Bob Estes’ Scorecard. Something that did not go well.

“There was a while there where he just didn’t want to look at me,” Allem recalled the incident. “I just think it is wrong. We have got a set of rules. We should try and play the game within the rules. Etiquette is not a small city in France; we have got to stick with it.”

Rory Sabbatini staged a one-man protest in response to the slow play by fellow golfer Ben Crane in the 2005 Booz Allen Classic. Sabbatini played ahead on hole 17 before walking off to tee on the 18 hole before Crane even hit the green. Former PGA Tour Pro Paul Azinger, a tournament reporter, was furious. “As inconsiderate as anything I’ve seen,” commented the 1993 PGA Championship Winner.

However, drastic changes require drastic measures. A unified response from players to call out the slow pace of play while on the field could be one of the several ways this problem can be solved. Either way, it needs to be addressed quickly, or golf’s dwindling stock in the sports world could face even more trouble. What do you think?