Scottie Scheffler has voiced his skepticism over the use of rangefinders as a solution to slow play in major tournaments. The American golfer’s comments come hot on the heels of his narrow miss at the Masters, where Rory McIlroy emerged victorious.
The PGA Tour has recently amended its rules to permit the trial use of rangefinders between the Masters and the PGA Championship. These devices, which measure distances on golf courses, provide players with an idea of their distance from key points such as the green, flag, or bunkers.
Golfers will have the chance to use rangefinders at six Tour events, starting with the RBC Heritage, which kicks off on Thursday. It comes as McIlroy lost a staggering $3 million for withdrawing from the RBC Heritage before a huge U-turn.
Word No.1 Scheffler is slated to participate in the RBC Heritage following his fourth-place finish at the Masters last weekend. The 28 year old remained a strong contender throughout most of the final round at Augusta but fell behind towards the end as the tournament was decided by a playoff.
McIlroy managed to keep his cool, outplaying Justin Rose to secure his fifth Major and complete a career Grand Slam. After his recent triumph, the Northern Irishman plans to take a breather and will not be participating in the RBC Heritage. However, Scheffler will be there, ready to defend the title he won last year.
Speaking about the use of rangefinders ahead of the tournament, last year’s victor shared his thoughts: “We’ve been using them at the PGA [Championship] the last couple years, haven’t we? Is it going to help pace of play? Maybe a few minutes. Will it be anything significant? No.”
Scheffler then argued that the tournament would move along faster if golfers played in pairs rather than trios. He elaborated: “This tournament, what affects the pace of play is walking the golf course. I think we’re playing twosomes all week, so it will go from a five-hour round to maybe four hours or less.
“When you see the biggest changes in pace of play, it all comes from going from three guys to two guys in a pairing. It’s just easier to get around the golf course.
“Also, the distance walking from green to tee is a big factor as well if you’re going to save 15, 20 minutes off the round. This golf course is pretty simple in terms of getting around.
“I think the only way to have a significant impact on the pace of play, if you look at the average round time last week [at the Masters], Thursday and Friday you’re playing in threes, Saturday and Sunday you’re playing in twos. There’s going to be a significant difference, probably over an hour difference in pace of play.”
