Golf shot clocks have created debate in the professional golf community, with TGL's 40-second shot clock drawing significant attention. While the rule has helped make TGL matches fit into a two-hour broadcast window, PGA Tour pros are divided on whether it could work in traditional tournaments.

Justin Thomas, after his first TGL match with Atlanta Drive, expressed skepticism about implementing shot clocks on the PGA Tour. Drawing from his 10 years of Tour experience and time on the Player Advisory Council, Thomas highlighted several key challenges:

• Making meaningful time improvements would require drastic changes
• Even significant changes might only save 12-20 minutes per round
• Fans want both faster play and challenging courses, which are often incompatible


The pace of play remains a significant issue in professional golf. At The American Express tournament, the final threesome took 5 hours and 39 minutes to complete 18 holes - nearly as long as two NFL playoff games combined.

While some players like Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick support bringing shot clocks to the PGA Tour, Thomas believes the solution isn't straightforward. The PGA Tour's Fan Forward initiative is currently exploring various improvements, including:

• Broadcast enhancements
• Increased player content
• Enhanced onsite experience
• Rule modifications
• Pace of play solutions

As a player-driven organization, any significant changes to the PGA Tour will require broad support from its membership. While Thomas remains skeptical, his openness to discussing solutions represents an important step toward addressing the sport's ongoing pace-of-play challenges.

Related Articles

Previous Articles