Masters chairman offers insight on how golf can fix pace-of-play problems

The Masters tees off this week for its 89th tournament, but one of the most important men behind the event is one of many around the world of golf that recognzies that his favorite sport has a major problem right now.

The topic of pace of play has become more public in recent years as golf falls behind other major sports in keeping viewers engaged throughout long rounds. That's especially become the case with players taking their time on what many would consider routine putts.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley says that he wants to see a "call to action" so that pro players can speed up the game and ensure that the next generation of golfers doesn't fall into the same trap of extending rounds longer than they need to be.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley says golf needs ‘call to action’ to fix pace-of-play issue https://t.co/YuKA9cajzU pic.twitter.com/yJxRINLq1L
— New York Post (@nypost) April 10, 2025

“I think maybe this might be a call to action that perhaps we haven’t seen in the past,’’ Ridley stated. “We will be dealing with that issue [slow play] this week. I’m not going to tell you that I’m going to be happy with the results, but I think I am encouraged that the PGA Tour is doing some things, experimenting with some timing procedures that might be a little bit more aggressive than we’ve seen in the past.

While Ridley doesn't specifically mention a fix, he's been joined by a long list of current and former players that have expressed similar concerns over the pace-of-play issue in golf.

Apr 10, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Nick Dunlap plays from the pine straw on the first fairway during the first round of the Masters Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Other sports like Major League Baseball have had their own issues with how long games run, and that prompted baseball to address it with a pitch clock and other mechanisms. For the most part, baseball has seen success with their moves, so perhaps golf can follow in those same footsteps in the future.

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