Day two at the PGA Championship badly exposes big golf problem which needs urgent fix

Against all expectations, Aronimink Golf Club has been a brutally tough test for the PGA Championship.

Almost every player from the opening group, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, tumbled down the leaderboard, unable to conquer the gusting wind and ensnaring rough of Aronimink.

The players looked miserable, and that’s exactly what we want to see from a major championship test. You want the Wanamaker Trophy? Okay. Earn it.

But the difficulty of the golf course exposed a massive problem for the sport which needs to be addressed immediately.

PGA Championship exposed golf’s slow play problem

The morning rounds at Aronimink were so difficult that it took an age for the players to complete their rounds. It took Scottie Scheffler’s group over five hours to play 18 holes of golf. Ridiculous.

Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young were put on the clock for their slow play, but their retort to the official was that they weren’t far behind the group ahead. That’s a testament to how slow the general play was throughout the field.

It doesn’t matter how hard it is out there, a six hour round cannot be acceptable. In no golf course in the world would an amateur get away with that without returning to an incredibly disgruntled clubhouse.

So why these players are not capable of playing a round in five hours, no matter how challenging the golf course, is beyond comprehension. And how they were allowed to creep along at a snail’s pace all day is absolutely ridiculous.

How golf must fix its pace of play problem

Slow play seems to infuriate everyone but the players, so here’s what golf must do to speed players up for fans.

First, there must be a consistent application of stroke penalties. Currently, officials rely on warnings and fines that are negligible to the sport’s top earners. They must grow a spine and apply the penalty to players who are crawling along at a disrespectful pace.

And to make those decisions easier, there must be a shot clock applied to players. Give them 90 seconds to take a shot, and if they exceed it, penalise them. One warning, then a stroke. That needs to apply to every player at all times.

After sitting through near-six-hour rounds at Aronimink, the fans’ enjoyment of the sport must now be prioritized over these players, who are simply taking far too long.