Justin Thomas enjoyed a positive start to day one of the PGA Championship, but his post-round comments expose an ongoing problem in golf.
Chasing his third career major championship win, Thomas carded a one-over 69 on Thursday at Aronimink.
Again joined by fellow Americans Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley, he starts his second round two shots off the lead.
There, he will be hoping for more consistency, having shot three-under on the front nine but two-over on the back nine in his first round of the PGA Championship.
But when explaining that disparity, Thomas did somewhat shed light on the slow play issue that has plagued modern golf for some time.
Justin Thomas’ comments at the PGA Championship expose slow play problem
Speaking at Aronimink, Thomas said of his contrasting front and back nine on day one: “The front nine is definitely more gettable than the back, so that’s a start. I played, I felt like, flawless in there for probably 13 holes.
“Yeah, honestly, I just had a very hard time staying focused. It’s a long, long day out there. It’s so, so tough, very, very windy, some tough pins.
“Really proud of the way I played and the way I hung in there. Solid first round.”
Such was the physical and mental toll that day one of the PGA Championship had on Thomas, he had no energy left to practice afterwards.
Sharing how satisfied he was that the round didn’t get away from him despite moments of frustration, he said: “For sure. I really only hit a couple bad shots today.
“I played really, really solidly and drove the ball well until kind of the last four holes. Hit a lot of great putts, a lot of quality iron shots.
“If I had any energy left, I would go to the range and hit some, but I’m absolutely not doing that.”
Disappointing slow play issue emerges early at the PGA Championship
It was indeed a lengthy round out on the course for Thomas, who will perhaps be feeling the effects more than most given his relatively recent return from back surgery.
But the slow play issue affects everyone in the field, and has done at various other tournaments in recent years.
Just last month, Matt Fitzpatrick was slammed for slow play, angering golf fans for a lengthy layup en route to winning the RBC Heritage.
In contrast, shortly after at the JM Eagle LA Championship, the LPGA Tour was praised for its slow play approach when Jin Hee Im received a one-shot penalty.
It is undoubtedly time that the men’s players face severe consequences for slow play, which definitely damages the fan experience and indeed that of the players who are not guilty of such actions.
Following years of fan complaints, there is a new PGA Tour pace of play rule intended to help solve the issue, but it clearly remains at the very highest level of the sport.
The fact that Thomas had no energy left to fine-tune his game after his round speaks volumes, with the American clearly feeling the need to preserve that energy for competing throughout the rest of the week.
Fans will want golfers to be at 100% when starting their rounds, helping produce an exciting tournament and indeed a successful showcase for the sport, but the ongoing slow play problem is harming that.
Read more:
Shane Lowry reveals why he was so ‘uncomfortable’ on the course on Thursday at the PGA Championship
Jordan Spieth points out what was ‘diabolical’ about Aronimink on day one of the PGA Championship
Jon Rahm explains why he apologized to a fan after ‘inexcusable’ actions on day one at Aronimink
