John Rahm (left) and Brooks Koepka look in despair as they are forced to wait again on the 16th hole in the final Round Masters
Almost exactly 10 years ago today, a Chinese boy named Guan Tianlang made headlines when he became the youngest player to compete in the Masters. At 14, Guang seemed incredibly young to play one of the most feared golf courses in the world. But this week he was great. His play in August was one of the sweet stories of 2013, although the fairy tale was all but ruined when he was controversially cleared late in the second round for slow play, jeopardizing his hitting chances.
Masters officials were criticized for this at the time. Why persecute a poor child with a rarely used punishment at the most important moment of his life? «I'm tired of him,» two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, one of Guan's playing partners, said after they completed the round and before they knew where the cut would be. «He's 14 years old… when the wind blows here, trust me, you'll change your mind a lot.»
The truth is that the punishment was fully justified. You just want the Masters, R&A and PGA to use it more. Slow play is the bane of golf.
The Masters had a lot going for it this year: great storylines, a brawl between the LIV and the PGA in the background, trees falling in the middle of the round, extreme weather, a remarkable winner in John Rahm.
If there was a negative in what became the slow burning of the last day, it was the slow burning. Patrick Cantley and Victor Hovland, who played in the group ahead of Rahm and Brooks Koepka, took nearly five hours to complete the double pass. This is unacceptable.
When Cap collapsed, the slowness of the game actually became one of the main issues of the last day. To what extent was the American's game influenced by the group in front of him?
As the final round unfolded, Ram and Koepka kept showing, waiting on the tee boxes or on the fairway until Kantley and Hovland's group passed.
One photo of them scowling at tee 16, Cap with arms crossed and a grim expression that seemed to suggest he was mentally preparing to administer justice in the dressing room over Cantley after the round, went viral instantly.< /p >
He can be forgiven for such gloomy thoughts. Watching Cantley approach the impact is like watching a 90-year-old man approach the stairs. And there is no doubt that Cantley was the main culprit. Amateur Sam Bennett was also painfully slow that day, but Cantley won.
Patrick Cantley takes his time on the 17th green in Augusta on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images/Patrick Smith
Hovland did his best to speed things up in their group. The Norwegian passed Kantley in fifth place and stepped forward down the fairway. He also started walking before Cantley played his set for seven. Most tellingly, he played his chip for 13 before Cantley crossed Race Creek.
Hovland clearly expressed not too subtle thought, and why not? He played brilliantly all week, starting the final day just three shots ahead. But the air was indeed pumped out of his tires. In the final round of 74 points, he eventually dropped to seventh place.
However, Kentley feared Cap's wrath most of all.
Subsequently, when asked what he thinks about the pace of the group ahead, the four-time champion did not hesitate to say: “Yes, the group in front of us was terribly slow. John went to the bathroom about seven times a round and we were still waiting.”
Eddie Pepperell, an English golfer, joked on Twitter that «everyone in the LIV should be happy that Cantley never signed.»
It wasn't a laughing matter, though. Augusta National has rules about everything; from phones to running and sitting on the grass. But they decided not to apply one that could significantly affect the sport.
Golf is trying to attract young fans. It doesn't help when you can plant three new pines on the 17th at the start of the day to replace the fallen ones and expect them to be old enough by the time players reach that hole.
Examples should be given. As Lee Westwood said of Guan 10 years ago, “He's a youngster just learning the game and this is his first professional tournament, I find that a bit harsh. [But] he probably learned to play slow after seeing us professional golfers on TV, so why should we be surprised?”
Kantlei should at least have been put on the watch. There was a precedent. Or do they only punish 14 year old newbies?
Свежие комментарии