The champion of the 87th Masters Tournament, Jon Rahm, and LIV defector Brooks Koepka were in the same group. Both of them are some of the faster players on tour. And when someone slowed them down, Koepka could not take it. He did not shy away from pointing out how slow a group was playing at Augusta. The LIV Golfer attended his post-round press conference and ripped the slow group brutally.
Brooks Koepka got no chill
During the press conference, the reporter asked Koepka, “You’re a pretty fast player, as we know. Curious your thoughts on pace of play this afternoon?” The co-leader of the Masters Tournament replied, “Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”
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And that became even more clear with a picture posted by a digital editor on Twitter. In the picture, one can see how Koepka and Rahm are waiting for the slow group to finish their round.
I'll say this for Patrick Cantlay, though. It takes mega stones to hold up these two. pic.twitter.com/cxbb5Bhr7Z
— Michael McEwan (@MMcEwanGolf) April 9, 2023
Patrick Cantlay, an eight-time PGA Tour champion, and Viktor Hovland of Norway were among the players in the group playing in front of Koepka and Rahm. With a 2-over final round of 74 in his fourth Masters appearance, Hovland placed T7. Whereas, Cantlay finished T14 and shot a 3-over-par 75 with six bogeys and three birdies.
Read More- ‘Honestly Such a Joke’: Golf Fans Fume Over a Major Broadcasting Blunder at The 2023 Masters
When a group is playing slow, or the whole pace is slow, the golfers generally take snacks and restroom breaks to pass the time. But if we talk about the 2023 Masters Tournament, those breaks were not enough for the round. Players frequently observe that taking long rests might cause them to lose focus and momentum. But in the case of the Spaniard, he did not lose focus and grabbed his first green jacket, defeating Koepka. But it was not the first time Koepka objected slow play.
History repeats itself
Koepka bogeyed the sixth after a clunky chip from the back of the green and finished second on the leaderboard. However, he missed his chance to take $3.24 million home. But the slow play in the final round is a topic of debate. However, it was like history repeating itself. In 2022, a feud began between Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. The eight-time PGA Tour winner said, “He was a di** to me in 2018 but it was just over the slow play stuff that happened.” But after working on him, he said, “I was definitely slower. I’ve improved that since then, but yeah I mean he took a shot at me.” And we talk about it, till today.
On the other hand, the fans also did not like the slow play of Cantlay’s group. They joked about it and also made some suggestions. Here are a few of them.
Cantlay gonna get a lot of backlash
— EaglesDawgy 🦅 (@eaglesBDN) April 9, 2023
So painful to watch @patrick_cantlay
— Jerry Mitchell (@divot1956) April 10, 2023
He should be penalized. It's ridiculous
— GolfGuy (@GolfinEntDoc) April 9, 2023
It like watching the grass grow put him on the clock
— justanobody (@justano35554842) April 9, 2023
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Those stares…….
Wow!!!— Owen Civiera (@OCiviera) April 9, 2023
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What are your thoughts about Koepka’s statement? Was it too bad to play slow? Please share your views in the comments below.
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