Why Can’t The Tour Finish A Round Before Dark?
- Updated: March 11, 2021
Twitter/@pgatour
The first round of the 2021 Players Championship was suspended due to darkness on a beautiful sunny day. TWENTY-ONE players have to finish their first rounds on Friday morning. Wait. What? Why?
It’s true. For the second year in a row (not including last year’s cancellation due to covid) the first round at TPC Sawgrass was suspended because darkness fell over Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl even though the weather was literally perfect all day.
Yes. This year’s field is 154 players, 10 more than the usual 144 (again…covid) but still, this shouldn’t happen when there are no weather delays.
Back in 2019, only one player didn’t finish their round, but that’s not the point. He should’ve finished too.
Seriously though, how does this happen?
While we can’t speak to the TV contracts etc, what we can focus on is slow play. That’s really the only explanation we can deduce…well that and the fact 35 balls found the water at the famed par-3 island green 17th hole which – say it with us – also slows down pace of play!
Sunset was 6:31pm EST today. There are still 7 groups on the course, starting on the 15th hole! They teed off at 1:44, 1:55, 2:06, and 2:17 respectively. That’s giving them just under 5 hours to get 18 holes in.
Theoretically, that should be enough time to have all groups finish…after all they are professionals. But, it’s a tough course in tough conditions at a premier event (not a major!) and this is their livelihood.
So yeah, playing slower would make sense especially when pace of play isn’t enforced.
That’s why there’s a clock on tour.
This should never happen. Golf is a pro sport and its players should play in the allotted time unless of course, the folks who run the organization don’t care about their product.
Here’s what Rory McIlroy said back in 2019 when asked about the glacial pace of play after a 5 HOUR 40 MINUTE ROUND at TPC Sawgrass:
“Because they don’t do anything about it. It’s become somewhat of an epidemic on tour. Look, it’s our livelihoods, and people are going to take their time, and as the course dries up and gets firmer and gets tougher, guys are going to take their time, but the fact that someone didn’t finish yesterday, just being through daylight savings and the tee times and someone had to come out today because there wasn’t enough light to finish, I mean, that’s unacceptable. What time is it right now, 7:35? Yeah, so, this is five hours, 40 [minutes] after our tee time. I get that it can take five hours to play out there, but it shouldn’t take any over that.”
Remember before the pandemic when golf’s BIGGEST problem was slow play?
BREAKING NEWS: it still is! We just don’t beat it to death anymore because it suddenly seems less important. At least we are playing golf, right?
Granted daylight saving time this year is on Sunday of the final round (which we received word that the tour DOES NOT own the rights to), but the fact is it’s still fascinating. They have every shot from every player on video but can’t finish the round before sunset.
Maybe they should start handing out FedEx Cup bonus points to the guys who finish their rounds before dark?
How about the next time the tour hosts a big event, let’s make sure they factor darkness into the weather forecast.
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