PGA Tour notebook: Zach Johnson says slow-play issue difficult to tackle

From WorldGolf.com News Services

Pace of play occasionally gets attention on the professional golf tours, but the topic has taken on new life this week following comments by Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.

While it has been 16 years since a player on the PGA Tour was actually assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play, it did happen last weekend on the LPGA Tour. Angela Park was penalized two shots for slow play in the final round.

Defending Masters champion Zach Johnson said the issue of slow play is difficult to tackle.

"It's a fine line," Johnson said. "You can't please everybody."

Johnson said that everyone realizes that Thursday and Friday rounds at PGA Tour events are going to be long. He said it's often a "course-driven and condition-driven" matter.

"There are certain courses on tour that the rules officials know that even playing twosomes, we can't play in less than five hours," Johnson said. "And there are some golf courses if you play slow, you might be playing in four hours. There are just a lot of factors involved.

"There's not a perfect remedy for it, but it's frustrating."

In PGA Tour events, once a group falls out of position, it is timed by an official. The first player to hit has 60 seconds to complete his shot and the following players are allowed 40 seconds each.

No penalty is issued the first time a player fails to complete his shot in the allotted time. The second offense brings with it a one-shot penalty, third offense a two-shot penalty, and a fourth violation results in disqualification.

Woods, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, offered his comments about slow play on his Web site.

"It's been an ongoing problem on the PGA Tour for a long time," Woods wrote. "I honestly believe the pace of play is faster in Europe and Japan. It has been suggested offenders be penalized with strokes. The problem is, you may get one guy that slows down a group for playing at a snail's pace and gets them all put on the clock, which isn't fair. I know this is a complicated issue. Hopefully, it can be addressed in the near future."

Scott told the Associated Press: "People play way, way too slow."

Johnson said slow play can certainly affect players' performance.

"This game is very rhythmic," Johnson said. "It's very much a tempo-based game, and when you're playing a hole and you hit a couple shots, you putt and you go to the next tee, you're sitting there for 10 more minutes and it takes you out of that."

Then again, with so much money on the line, Johnson said it's understandable why some players like to take their time.

"It's the guys' livelihood and, unfortunately, you're probably going to keep seeing that," Johnson said. "They are certainly looking at some sort of solution to make it better for all players."

Vijay Singh to play more in Asia?

Vijay Singh received an Asian Tour badge from executive chairman Kyi Hla Han last weekend to make him an honorary member after playing the final round of the Johnnie Walker Classic in India.

Singh, the No. 11-ranked player in the world, started his professional career in Asia in the 1980s. He has won titles in Chinese Taipei, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

Now a PGA Tour regular with more than 60 victories worldwide, Singh said he would like to play more events in Asia. The Asian Tour is planning 30 events and offering more than $40 million in prize money this year.

"The growth of golf in Asia is getting bigger and over the next few years, we will see many more strong players coming out from the Asian Tour," Singh told reporters. "I'm happy to see this development and I believe it won't stop. We need more big tournaments to get the players going. The Asian players need to keep playing hard and not look back."

Briefly

• Monday qualifier Michael Letzig recorded the best finish of his rookie season, tying for seventh place Sunday in the Honda Classic. The 27 year old, who was making his sixth career PGA Tour appearance, finished No. 12 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list.

• Luke Donald's runner-up finish in the Honda Classic was his best on tour since tying for second at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii. With the performance, he earned 2,700 FedExCup points and moved up 17 places to No. 14 on the list.

• Ernie Els recorded the biggest comeback victory in his PGA Tour career Sunday in the Honda Classic, starting the final round three strokes off the lead. The South African has won five times when trailing at the start of the final round. He has trailed by two strokes three times and also trailed by a single stroke and won once.

• Brett Quigley has qualified for major medical extension status for the remainder of the 2008 season. Quigley played in 25 events in 2007 before his season ended with arthroscopic knee surgery on Sept. 7. He had earned $717,411 and needed to reach the equivalent of No. 125 on the 2008 money list ($785,180). Quigley has missed the cut in his first two starts this year.

March 5, 2008