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Koepka Offers Idea To Fix Golf’s Pace Of Play Problem

Brooks Koepka’s ascension to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings has come part and parcel with a more publicly vocal persona that has led the three-time major champion into the headlines as a result of some of his opinions.

Claiming he never was one to shy away from an answer, Koepka has said that his success has put him in front of more microphones and therefore he has been asked a wider range of questions.

Joining Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast on Wednesday ahead of his title defense of the PGA Championship, Koepka riffed on everything from his pseudo-feud with Brandel Chamblee — he claims he has asked to come on the set to debate with the Golf Channel analyst — to what his offseason eating habits entail.

Talking about some of his more newsworthy comments, Koepka reiterated his disdain for slow play and offered up a suggestion for how he thinks golf can be made to be more fun.

“Nobody wants to spend 5 1/2 hours out there, Koepka said. “I would just make it 15 holes, 14 holes. Because then you get to go to the 19th hole a little bit quicker.

“It gets boring from hole five through 12, you’re just like ‘where am I right now?'” continued Koepka. “I literally can’t tell you what happened during those holes. You kind of black out. Everything is so repetitive.”

Koepka Goes Off On Slow Play Enforcement

Previously, Koepka has blamed the bigger names in the sport for the poor pace of play, but he’s also said that there is an onus on those doling out penalties to actually enforce the rules. 

“It is frustrating. There’s a lot of slow players, a lot of them are the very good players, too, which is kind of the problem,” Koepka said earlier this year. “I think it’s weird how we have rules where we have to make sure it’s dropping from knee height or your caddie can’t be behind you and then they also have a rule where you have to hit it in 40 seconds, but that one’s not enforced. You enforce some but you don’t enforce the others. To me, it makes no sense. If you’re going to do it, just penalize the guy if they’re going to take that long. 

“I was explaining to someone the other day, if we get put on the clock, it’s because we’re slow. So obviously, we’ve broken the rules. Occasionally, there’s that one or two instances where I might be making a double, but the other guy, we had to look for his ball and it’s just taking a little bit of time. But usually, if you’re put on the clock, it’s because you’re slow. 

“Guys keep getting put on the clock, keep doing it, keep doing it and they’re breaking the rules, but no one ever has the balls to actually penalize them.”