Jordan Spieth warned for slow play

• Jordan Spieth falls foul of European Tour slow play policy
• 22-year-old was warned during his first round in Abu Dhabi
• “It was a bit odd,” said the American afterwards

World No.1 Jordan Spieth was the first victim of the European Tour’s new slow play policy after he received a warning during the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

In his first start in a regular season European Tour event as a professional, the 22-year-old was warned by chief referee John Paramor after he was alleged to have taken too long over a birdie putt on the par-5 eighth hole.

“It was a bit odd” – Jordan Spieth

Speaking after his round, where he carded a four-under-par 68 to sit four shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau, Spieth, who earned $22m on the course in 2015, described the incident as ‘a bit odd’, and if he gets pulled up for it again it will result in a £2,000 fine.

“I got a bad time on my putt on the eighth when they took us off the clock on that green and the guys behind us hadn’t even reached the fairway on a par-5,” said a perplexed Spieth. “I understand that if you are being timed and you are taking longer than the allotted time, you get a bad time. I understand the rule but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when our group had caught up.”

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The new rules, introduced by European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, are different to those of the PGA Tour, with the aim of shaving 15 minutes off the duration of a round to help the sport become ‘more appealing and engaging to fans’.

Afterwards, referee Paramor told Sky Sports: “Pace of play on the European Tour is measured by whether a group keeps to the starting interval between groups, rather than if they are on the same hole, as it is in America.

“Jordan was assessed a monitoring penalty after his putt on the eighth hole, which I advised him of as he walked to the ninth tee.”

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Jordan Spieth :: Harsh warning?

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