Watson worried over slow pace of golf

September 6, 2013 Anchored putting will be prohibited by USPGA and R&A from Jan. 1, 2016. However,  Bubba Watson believes that the slow pace of the game is a bigger problem that need to be addressed.

“Slow play is a problem on the PGA Tour, and I think that’s our biggest concern.”

“We are worried about putters and golf balls and all these things, but I think we should be more concerned about slow play and speeding the game up, not just for pros but for amateur golfers, as well,” Watson said.

[highlight] Nobody wants to play a game that takes five and a half hours to play. We want everybody to be able to play and go a lot faster [/highlight]

“Nobody wants to play a game that takes five and a half hours to play. We want everybody to be able to play and go a lot faster,” Watson reportedly said to Reuters.

Watson made the remarks to the organizers of the Asian Tour’s Thailand Golf Championship, which Watson will play later this year.

Two Asian players were penalized for slow play at the 2013 majors: Guan Tianlang was hit with a one-stroke penalty at Augusta this year and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was also being penalized at the British Open. Both penalties were controversial, but Watson said the penalties could be a learning experience.

“Nobody wants to see a young kid, a young player get that penalty. That penalty is not a fun penalty to get… happened to be Asian players, but I think the youngsters can learn from that.”

American golfer, who has three top-10 finishes this year, was also asked to assess his own game. He hasn’t won on tour since winning the 2012 Masters.

“I am happy with my game. Obviously, you want to produce better scores. You want to win,” he said. “I haven’t won yet, but I’m playing well. I feel like I’m playing good.”