On the 17th hole in the British Open’s third round, Bryson DeChambeau and his playing partner, Nathan Kimsey, were falling behind.
As a result, their pace of play began to be timed.
“We just kept losing time,” DeChambeau said after a third-round 68. “Unfortunately, on the 16-17 exchange, you’ve got a downhill drivable hole you can play pretty quick if you get in the right spot. They did that, and we just lost more time to the group in front of us, and they put us on the clock, which is unfortunate.”
That might rattle some players, but DeChambeau was fine with it.
“I’d love to be timed,” the two-time U.S. Open champion said, “and I have no problem with that.”
Slow play has become one of golf’s most contentious and debated topics. The sport’s top tours have recently implemented policies to speed up play. And DeChambeau has an idea of his own.
“It’s very simple,” he said. “It’s not difficult at all. You eventually time everybody for their whole entire round. Very simple. Nobody wants to do it, because people are too scared to get exposed, which I am an advocate for.”
The first two rounds at Royal Portrush were a slog, although that’s typical for major championships. Some rounds took nearly six hours to complete. Maybe if everyone were being monitored, play would be slightly more rapid.
“Once you start penalizing individuals for consecutive over—taking too much time,” DeChambeau said, “I can tell you, first two rounds it was out of control what I saw. That’s the way people play. Long story short, one day I hope we can have a better system.”
DeChambeau, though, knows even that might be the perfect solution.
“You time how long someone takes individually, and then you separate that from the other person playing,” he said. “You start/stop on him the whole entire thing. It's one way.
“I’m not saying it’s the answer. I’m definitely not somebody that has the most experience or knowledge on it.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as After Being Timed, Bryson DeChambeau Gives His Slow Play Solution at British Open.
