Scottie Scheffler complains about new PGA Tour rule immediately after Rory McIlroy win.
Scottie Scheffler doesn’t think the use of rangefinders will solve the issue of slow play at major tournaments. The American spoke out on the PGA Tour’s rule change just days after missing out to Rory McIlroy at the Masters.
The PGA Tour have changed their rules to allow the use of rangefinders for a trial period between the Masters and the PGA Championship. The devices are used to measure distances on golf courses to give players an indication of how far they are from certain points like the green, the flag or a bunker. Golf stars will initially be able to use rangefinders at six Tour events, with their first opportunity coming at the RBC Heritage, which gets underway today (Thursday).
Scheffler is set to feature at the RBC Heritage after finishing fourth at the Masters last weekend. The 28-year-old kept himself in contention for most of the final round at Augusta but fell away late on as the tournament was decided by a play-off.
McIlroy ultimately held his nerve to overcome Justin Rose as he won his fifth Major to complete a career Grand Slam.
The Northern Irishman is set to enjoy a break following his latest triumph and will miss the RBC Heritage. But Scheffler will be present as he looks to defend the title he won last year.
And commenting on rangefinders ahead of the tournament, last year’s champion explained: “We’ve been using them at the PGA [Championship] the last couple years, haven’t we? Is it going to help pace of play? Maybe a few minutes. Will it be anything significant? No.”
Scheffler then insisted tournament pace would be quicker if golfers played in groups of two instead of groups of three.
He added: “This tournament, what affects the pace of play is walking the golf course. I think we’re playing twosomes all week, so it will go from a five-hour round to maybe four hours or less.
Rapid changes in playing pace originate exclusively from converting from three-person groups to two-person pairings. Two persons walking have an easier time navigating through the golf course compared to three persons.
The significant time savings from one tee to the next are determined by the length of your walk between greens and tees. Players find it convenient to move across this golf course.
The pairing difference between threes on Thursday and Friday and twos on the weekend has the greatest effect on round time duration at the Masters.
The difference will be substantial since it may lead to more than an hour increase of pace during a round.
