Fitzpatrick Slams PGA Tour Tortoises As A ‘Disgrace’ & ‘Appalling’.

3 years ago by Comments Off on Fitzpatrick Slams PGA Tour Tortoises As A ‘Disgrace’ & ‘Appalling’.

Reigning US Open and RBC Heritage champion Matt Fitzpatrick has slammed PGA Tour tortoses, such as Patrick Cantlay who he played alongside last Sunday at Hilton Head, as a ‘disgrace’ and also ‘appalling’.

Fitzpatrick, 27, captured his first ‘regular’ PGA Tour title in birdieing the third extra hole to defeat defending champion Jordan Spieth on the host Harbor Touwn course in South Carolina.

However, for a second week running a golf tournament was overshadowed by complaints of slow play and the chief PGA Tour tortoise being Cantalay.

The 31-year-old Cantalay, and a winner of eight PGA Tour titles, had been lambasted by Brooks Koepka for his slow play during the final round of the Masters and the California-born Cantalay n was again under fire last week.

Cantalay actually recognised the issue of slow play in complimenting himself after holing out for an ace during the second round of the RBC Heritage but it all turned sour for golf fans on Sunday when he was clearly being heckled by spectators in taking 55 seconds to hole a four-foot par-saving putt.

There is also a video clip, taken by Heritage spectators, of Cantalay taking nearly three minutes to take a shot from behind a three.

No one knows when is the last time the PGA Tour last fined a member for slow play but Fitzpatrick, and like Koepka a week earlier, declared enough is enough.

“For me the times need to be changed,” said Fitpatrick in speaking with SKY Sports.

“I think that times to need to be much less and then that way, you know, when you’re not within those times, then you could be penalized and properly punished for being slow.

“I think they give us way too much leeway to get round. If you’re in a three-ball, in my opinion you should be round in four hours, four and half absolute maximum – it’s a disgrace to get anywhere near that,” said Fitzpatrick. “You’re talking five hours and 15, five and a half hours at some venues and its truly appalling.

“The problem is this conversation has gone on for years and years and years and no one ever done anything so I feel it’s almost a waste of time talking about it. I have strong opinions, but no-one’s going to do anything about it.”

“The problem is though, you know this conversation has gone on for years and years and years and no one’s ever done anything. So I feel like it’s almost a waste of time talking about it every time.

“I’ve got my opinions, they’re probably strong opinions but you know, PGA Tour, DP World Tour, no one’s going to do anything about it. It’s just the way it’s going to be”.

And Fitzpatrick pointed out, and very different to the DP World Tour, is that you hardly see a referee out on the golf course at PGA Tour events.

“Slow play is a huge issue. I was forcing myself the whole day last Sunday to walk as slow as possible and I was still fast, I was still ready. I think it’s a real issue, way more needs to be done”, Fitzpatrick added.

“The thing is I really like referees over here [in the USA], they are great people, but I did not see a single ref all day.

“There were a few shots we were not waiting and I don’t understand where they are all hiding. It does become frustrating when you are waiting so long.”



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