Slow play is on the agenda …. again. Rarely a week goes by in golf when we are not tut-tutting and harrumphing about pace of play.
The first couple of days at the Solheim Cup, for instance, seemed to take so long, the authorities were just about carbon dating the fourballs.
Last month, the European Tour top brass unveiled a series of robust new measures aimed at tackling slow play which will be fully implemented for the 2020 season.
Here in this week’s $7m BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, parts of that grand plan will be put to the test in an early statement of intent.
A GPS tracking system will be attached to the bag of one player in each group, allowing officials to keep an eye on their position on the course and let the competitors know where they are in relation to the groups around them.
Rory McIlroy has been pretty vocal in his condemnation of golf’s slow coaches as the debate has gathered momentum and has welcomed the tour’s concerted effort to the get the game moving.
“It’s a start,” he said. “Look, it’s not a great thing for our game. I watched a lot of the Solheim Cup and it was really slow.
“As much as you want to watch and support the European girls, it’s just hard not to get frustrated with it.
“I am a fan of golf and I want the best for the game. It’s hard because there are different scenarios where you have to take your time.
“It was tough conditions up there (at the Solheim Cup). It was windy, it was tough but, you know, something has to be done.”
READ MORE: European Tour set to crack whip on slow play
As an avid watcher of a variety of sports, McIlroy highlighted the recent incident in the men’s US Open tennis final.
In the very first game, Rafa Nadal was given a time violation by the umpire for a slow speed of serve against Daniil Medvedev and was handed another in the fifth set as the tension mounted.
A high profile name in a high stakes environment being ticked off by officials? That’s the kind of no-nonsense approach McIlroy wants to see adopted in golf.
READ MORE: Nick Rodger's Tuesday golf column
“Rafa got a time violation on a really big serve in a US Open final,” said McIlroy
“So if they can do it then, there’s no reason why we can’t do it in our tournaments either. It’s just a matter of enforcing it and being consistent with it.”
McIlroy, a winner at Wentworth in 2014, has targeted two more wins by the end of the year to equal his career-best season.
“The most I’ve ever won in a season is five,” he said. “I’d love to at least equal that and try to better it.”
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