Collin Morikawa: Public Data On Slow Play Could Be More Effective Than PGA Tour Fines
PGA Tour slow play issues may soon be more transparent, with Commissioner Jay Monahan announcing plans to publish speed-of-play statistics later this season. This move comes alongside testing new pace-of-play policies on developmental tours.
Two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa strongly supports making player pace data public, arguing that current monetary fines are ineffective given players' high earnings. He suggests implementing stroke or FedEx Cup point penalties instead:
"What I've learned is that monetary fines are useless. We make so much money, and some guys frankly couldn't care less about the fines," Morikawa stated at The Players Championship. "If you're slow, you know you're slow. There's no issue with letting it out - it's only going to make things better."
Justin Thomas echoed these sentiments while acknowledging his own pace issues: "Nobody wants to be known as that (a slow player). I'm the first to admit I'm on the slow side of players."
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The Tour is taking additional steps to address pace of play:
- Testing rangefinder use between The Masters and PGA Championship
- Implementing new speed-of-play policies on Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas
- Following LPGA Tour's lead, which enforces strict penalties for time violations
The LPGA Tour's system includes:
- Fines for players 1-5 seconds over time
- One-stroke penalty for 6-15 seconds over
- Two-stroke penalty for 16+ seconds over
These measures have shown success, with recent LPGA weekend rounds completing in under 3 hours 50 minutes with two-ball play.
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Morikawa cautions that fans may not notice small improvements in pace: "If we pick up 10 minutes of pace of play for this week, the fans won't realize that at all." However, the focus remains on creating accountability and encouraging faster play through transparency and meaningful penalties.