DP World Tour stars warned over ‘hefty’ slow play punishments

Last year, one of the most outspoken players on the DP World Tour claimed that the circuit was fighting a “fake battle” to eradicate the game’s perennial slow play problem.

Mike Lorenzo-Vera had taken to social media during his round to vent his frustrations at the glacial pace of play at the BMW International Open in Munich last June.

In an interview with bunkered.co.uk, the eccentric Frenchman then claimed that lenient attitudes at board level were making it impossible for significant change to be enacted.

“Plenty of guys are irritated but the slow players don’t give a s*** about it,” he said. “I think they are trying but the sanctions are discussed with the players committee and inside that players committee there are slow players! It’s not going to work.”

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Despite Lorenzo-Vera’s concerns, the issue of ponderous play has long been a priority issue discussed by those at Wentworth HQ.

And David Howell, who chairs the Tournament Committee on the European circuit, has now revealed some interesting details about fresh punishments for players taking too long on the course.

Eddie Pepperell recently revealed on X that a player racked up over £100,000 in slow play fines last year, claiming that pace of play is no longer an issue on the circuit.

And now, replying to golf fan Sam Harrop’s concerns, Howell laid out a further warning to any repeat offenders.

“I won’t bore you with the details, but on top and as well as the hefty fines already mentioned by @PepperellEddie [but] if you are ignorant enough to ignore all the slow play rules you can rack up a two shot penalty this year on the DP world tour,” the English veteran wrote. “We do take slow play seriously.”

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When asked to elaborate on the point at which a fine turns into a two-shot penalty, Howell added: “2 bad times in a week gets you a one shot penalty, if 1 of those breaches was over 80 seconds for 1st to play or 70 secs if 2nd 2 play which is considered and EST (excessive shot time) then the 2 breach would mean the player incurs a two shot penalty. Unlikely but not impossible.”

In an innovative attempt to change pace of play, the DP World Tour introduced the Shot Clock Masters in 2018, an event in Austria that made players adhere to strict shot time allowances.

The tournament has not been played again since, and five-time tour winner Howell has explained why that particular idea didn’t  prove a worthy solution.

“The logistics of the shot clock masters were cumbersome & expensive,” he wrote. “It did prove that pro golf can be played faster l but many of the golf’s most memorable shots took a long time to hit, last hole last group timing is not something I wish to see, drama is important too.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.