PGA Tour's feeder circuit begins naming and shaming the slowpokes

The PGA Tour's official feeder circuit has started publishing speed-of-play statistics on their website. 

Over the last few years, pace of play in men's professional golf has consistently been described as one of the sport's biggest problems. 

Tour pros have publicly acknowledged there is an issue but it has been suggested that little improvement will be made unless stroke penalties are dished out. 

Last April, the PGA Tour's official feeder circuit - the Korn Ferry Tour - confirmed it would start publishing speed-of-play statistics. 

Last week's Colonial Life Charity Classic was the first week they were made available to the public after the initiative was formally approved by the PGA Tour's policy board. 

The Average Stroke Time shows how players rank relative to the field averages, both for the tournament and over the course of the season. 

Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin said: "The publishing of the AST data on the Korn Ferry Tour is an opportunity to provide greater context around a player's pace of play and the various factors that may impact it during any given tournament.

"We are hopeful this data is not only additive for our players, but allows our fans to feel more connected to what occurs inside the ropes each and every week.

"As we continue to innovate and implement new concepts on the Korn Ferry Tour, this data and the feedback will be most valuable."

American golfer Cole Sherwood won Colonial Life Charity Classic by one stroke from his compatriot Zach Blair. 

Interestingly, Sherwood was around 5.5 seconds slower than the field, ranking 129th in Speed of Play: Overall. 

It's unclear whether or not the initiative will eventually be rolled out on the PGA Tour. 

Several notable players, such as major champions Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, have placed on record they have absolutely no issue with the data being made public. 

"I think it should be released," Morikawa told reporters before the 2026 Players Championship. "I don't know why you wouldn't want it to be released.

"What I've learned is that monetary fines are useless. We make so much money, and some guys frankly could care less about them.

"I don't know how much the fines are, but whatever X amount they are, I think they care more about playing good golf and making sure they make the playoffs. That's where it hits hard."

Thomas and his playing partners were put on the clock during last week's PGA Championship. 

The two-time major winner, Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley were spotted angrily remonstrating with a tournament official after they were warned about their place on Aronimink's fourth hole during the second round. 

Thomas later explained that he didn't agree with the decision. 

"It's hard because it's kind of the whole time par thing," he said. "What is time par?

"How can time par on this course be the same when it's blowing 25 and the pins are tough than if it's not?

"And does time par change every day? There's just so many factors that go into it."

He added: "The hard part to me with the whole pace of play thing is that you, there's so much that goes into golf and there's so much that goes into hole to hole in terms of, are you hitting it close, are you able to tap it in, or you have to mark it, stuff like that, to where, are you holding the group up or are you not, to where it's very hard to make that call."

Slow play penalties are rare but they have been dished out twice on the DP World Tour this season. 

Gregorio de Leo received a one-sroke penalty for playing too slowly during the Turkish Airlines Open in May. 

Spain's Angel Hidalgo also received one two weeks ago.