John Catlin, who is playing in the PGA Championship on a special exemption, received a one-shot penalty during the first round for a violation of pace of play.
According to the PGA of America, the 30-year-old Catlin – who plays on the European Tour and is 80th in the Official World Golf Ranking – recorded his first bad time on his seventh hole (hole No.16 of the Ocean Course) after taking 74 seconds to play his second shot. This time resulted in a warning. Five holes later at No.3, Catlin had his second bad time, taking 63 seconds to play his second shot. This second time resulted in a one-stroke pace-of-play penalty.
The PGA of America adopted a Local Rule pace-of-play policy under Rule 5.6b(3) of the Rules of Golf, which states:
Committee Pace of Play Policy. To encourage and enforce prompt play, the Committee should adopt a Local Rule setting a Pace of Play Policy. This Policy may set a maximum time to complete a round, a hole or series of holes and a stroke, and it may set penalties for not following the Policy.
Catlin finished with a three-over 75.
The last notable slow-play penalty in a men’s Major came in the 2013 Masters, when then-14-year-old Tianlang Guan was assessed a one-stroke penalty in the second round after being warned four times. Guan ended up with a 75, but still made the cut for the weekend on the number.
