Rory McIlroy sides with Brooks Koepka on pace of play.
The four-time major champion said he thinks all golfers can pick up their game speed, just a week after Koepka publicly called out Bryson DeChambeau for long pre-shot routines.
“I think we can all do our part to speed up the pace of play,” McIlroy said at a luncheon Monday to promote GolfPass. “I would definitely be more in the Brooks Koepka camp there, in terms of if they give us a minute to hit a golf shot, that’s long enough for us to decide what to do. I think it’s a mental thing as well.
“If you have to check air density and all these types of different stuff, like a compass … I get it, it’s mental — you go through your checklist. If Bryson thinks he needs to do that to enable him to hit the best golf shot possible, by all means, do it but do it within the time frame that the Tour allows you to do it.”
DeChambeau’s long routine was a topic of discussion after his victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic last month. A video surfaced of DeChambeau’s approach, which ran well past a minute before he hit the ball.
Matt Kuchar recently threw shade at the 25-year-old during the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he was caught mocking whether electromagnetic pulses affected his shot.
The Bryson-effect has completely taken over. pic.twitter.com/FOCRkSJ6Ob
— Skratch (@Skratch) January 31, 2019
European pro Simon Khan also chimed in about about DeChambeau’s routine. He was fined during the first round of the 2005 Irish Open for playing too slow.
So Bryson DeChambeaus “process”just took 1m45 to hit a 30ft putt and was celebrated by the tour last week. As someone who got a record slow play fine in 2005 Irish Open for taking 15 seconds too long on 1 shot I find it particularly galling
— Simon Khan (@simonkhangolf) January 31, 2019
DeCambeau defended his slow play, saying golfers are “playing for our livelihoods.”
“For me, even walking up to your golf ball, you roughly know the yardage,” McIlroy said. “You know the 170[-yard] sprinkler is there and you pace it off. Yes, the wind’s off the left and it’ll probably be in the same direction as your tee shot was in, so it’s not too difficult. We all get enough time to do it, but some guys can take a little bit longer than they need.
“You kind of can’t argue with Brooks — he’s been one of the best players in the world for the last few years. If he says he can get it done in 45 seconds, then everyone should be able to.”
