Brooks Koepka might want to sit down for this. Then again, there’s a good chance he’s already seen a pair of viral videos showing Bryson DeChambeau taking an inordinate amount of time to play a couple of shots during the second round at the Northern Trust. Either way, we’re pretty sure Koepka won’t be happy about them.
RELATED: Yes, you CAN beat slow play
In addition to being the world’s best golfer, Brooks has also become the game’s most outspoken critic of slow play on tour. In fact, earlier this year he criticised DeChambeau specifically for his lengthy pre-shot routine in which he calculates things like air density in addition to the usual distance and wind.
“I just don’t understand how it takes a minute and 20 seconds, a minute and 15 to hit a golf ball; it’s not that hard,” Koepka said at the time.
Well, then he really won’t understand this. The first video shows DeChambeau taking more than three minutes to play a pitch shot.
anyone need a nap?
here’s DeChambeau pacing off a 70-yard shot which took over 3 minutes to hit (couldn’t post the entire video it took so long) pic.twitter.com/7A3Azeftyu
— Eric Patterson (@EPatGolf) August 9, 2019
To be fair, it was from an unusual spot, but still… And if possible, the next one is even worse. DeChambeau takes more than two minutes before attempting an eight-footer – and missing.
We can… pic.twitter.com/TOnRS4BXds
— Fantasy Golf Pod (@fantasygolfpod) August 10, 2019
For golf fans, it was hard to watch. But imagine how much worse it was for DeChambeau’s playing partners, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas? Let’s just say neither looked thrilled.
RELATED: Isn’t it finally time golf fixes its slow-play problem?
The good news (we guess?) is that Koepka has plenty of support in the anti-slow-play community on Twitter. Here are some of the responses by fellow tour pros to DeChambeau’s deliberate display with two-time European Tour winner Eddie Pepperell going as far as to calling Bryson a “single-minded twit”.
https://twitter.com/LukeDonald/status/1160176457798361088
THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!!!! @PGATOUR if you don’t do something about this, SHAME ON YOU!!! As a member, I’m OUTRAGED you can tolerate this. You talk about “protecting the field”, then protect it by penalizing/DQing this type of behavior!! ENOUGH!!!
— Rich Beem (@beemerpga) August 10, 2019
Andrew I’m sorry you’ve stopped watching the @PGATOUR. There are a few players that continually disrespect their fellow pro’s and continue to break the rules without a conscience. It should be self policed but clearly this won’t happen.. so disappointing it hasn’t been stopped. https://t.co/yxfF2fFZ2D
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) August 10, 2019
All the governing bodies need to come together and find a solution. It ruins the game for players, fans that watch live plus at home on TV. Something needs to be done and done now
— Ross Fisher (@RossFisher) August 10, 2019
And the LPGA’s Christina Kim had a pretty funny jab at the former physics major:
He must have failed to denote the fact that after TWO MINUTES the earth’s turned on its axis and thus had an effect on the gravitational pull on the slope of the putt. Then he pushed it. https://t.co/QeHSJhCTNQ pic.twitter.com/3fYOmXLfZv
— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) August 10, 2019
Kim also noted the LPGA has assessed some slow-play penalties this year (Sounds like a good idea!), and she was impressed by Thomas hanging in there as he did. Thomas acknowledged it wasn’t easy:
It was hard to! ⏰
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) August 10, 2019
Of course, DeChambeau isn’t the only slow player out there. Others like J.B Holmes, Ben Crane and Kevin Na have been harshly criticised through the years, but these videos of the five-time PGA Tour winner are particularly damning. DeChambeau has defended his pace of play in the past in part by saying he walks faster to his golf ball, which allows him more time once he arrives there. You don’t have to be a physics major, though, to know that maths isn’t adding up.
