Pro golfers rip Bryson DeChambeau and slow play after videos show him taking his time to hit a pair of shots

AP Photo/Peter Morrison

Bryson DeChambeau is facing criticism from fans and fellow tour pros after he took a long time to complete shots at the Northern Trust on Saturday.
The former physics major has become known for his analytical approach to golf.
He took more than three minutes to play a 70-yard shot and over two minutes for an eight-foot putt, which he missed. PGA rules say a player should take no longer than 40 seconds.
Players, such as Eddie Pepperell and Rich Beem, called for action by PGA.
PGA TOUR announced it was reviewing the pace-of-play policy on Sunday.

Five-time PGA Tour champion Bryson DeChambeau’s analytical approach to golf is under fire after taking longer than the recommended 40 seconds for a shot, per PGA Tour rules.

The debate over slow play has increased over the past year, particularly due to DeChambeau. Brooks Koepka criticized the former physics major after a video went viral of DeChambeau taking his time to calculate which club he would use.

During the 2019 Northern Trust at Liberty National, videos of DeChambeau again circulated the internet and garnered more criticism for his pace. He took more than three minutes to play a 70-yard shot.

On another hole, DeChambeau took over two minutes to for an eight-foot putt, which he missed.

Many fans took to Twitter to express frustrations, while playing partners, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas, looked unhappy in the video.

Other tour pros also took to social media to speak out against the lack of penalties for slow play, stemming from the viral videos.

English pro golfer Eddie Pepperell said it makes the "game less enjoyable" and called DeChambeau an "unaffected single minded twit." He later apologized for being personal in his criticism and calling him a "twit."

Three-time PGA tour champions Rich Beem and Ian Poulter called for action by PGA to prevent such a pace from being tolerated.

Five-time European Tour champion Ross Fisher also joined in on the call.

LGPA Tour winner Christina Kim took to Twitter to take a jab at DeChambeau’s pace and his obsession with golf physics.

DeChambeau responded to critics during a media session on Saturday, saying players should "speak to [him] to [his] face" about their issues instead of attacking him on Twitter.

"I take my 40 seconds that’s allotted, sometimes over, absolutely. Totally agree," DeChambeau said. "It’s maybe five percent of the time. But I’ll tell you that it’s really kind of unfortunate the way it’s perceived because there’s a lot of other guys that take a lot of time … When people start talking to me about slow play and how I’m killing the game, I’m doing this and that to the game, that is complete and utter you-know-what."

Only Miguel Angel Carballo and Brian Campbell have received penalties for slow play since 1995. At the 2017 Zurich Classic, the two were hit with a one-shot penalty in a team event.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

DeChambeau, Fleetwood, and Thomas took nearly five hours to complete their round on Saturday.

On Sunday, the PGA TOUR announced it is in the process of reviewing pace-of-play policy.

"We know that the individual habits of players when they are preparing to hit a shot can quickly become a focal point in today’s world, and our players and fans are very passionate about this issue," said Tyler Dennis, the PGA TOUR’s Chief of Operations.

"We are currently in the process of reviewing this aspect of pace of play and asking ourselves, ‘Is there a better way to do it?’ We think technology definitely plays a key role in all of this, and we are thinking about new and innovative ways to use it to address these situations."

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