PGA Tour winner calls for action on slow play

Charley Hoffman has reached out to his fellow PGA Tour players with a letter highlighting concerns about slow play and other pressing issues affecting the game.

The message follows a similar call to action by Justin Thomas last month. Thomas had urged players to prioritize collaboration with broadcasters to enhance fan engagement and improve television ratings.

"We've taken a lot of heat over the past few weeks about slow play," Hoffman wrote in the letter. "And yeah, it's an issue -- for our fans, for us as players. Cutting down field sizes will help, but only by a few minutes a day. As players, we still need to make a concerted effort to speed up. Pace of play has been a challenge my entire 20 years on Tour, and it was an issue 20 years before that.

"Golf is a tough game, and when conditions get extreme, it takes time to play it the right way. We all need to take responsibility to be ready when it's our turn to play and having the awareness to realize that we are out of position and speed up even before the rules official shows up. We do it all the time, we just need to be more aware of it!"

Hoffman is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, and has served multiple terms on the Player Advisory Council and twice served on the higher-level policy board of the PGA Tour.

"We have a responsibility to work with our broadcast partners -- whether that's doing on-course interviews or just giving fans a better look at what we do out there," Hoffman wrote in the letter. "But just as we help them, we need to make sure our Tour and our players are being properly highlighted. We're the best players in the world competing on the best tour in the world. That should always be the focus -- showcasing the thought, skill, passion, and competition that makes our game great."

He also expressed concern over the lack of pathways for golfers to qualify for signature events, promising as a member of the Player Advisory Council to keep a close eye on how the AON Swing 5 is factored into the selection process.

He also criticised players who have scaled back their participation in PGA Tour events while still making room in their schedules for the new TGL league and DP World Tour events.

"If we truly care about strengthening our Tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can," Hoffman wrote. "Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that's going to continue regardless of field size.

"The best competition happens when the best players go head-to-head in a deep, competitive field -- not in small, limited-entry events that leave deserving players on the outside looking in. This Tour was built on open competition, where anyone with the game to compete has a chance to prove it against the best. That's what has made our Tour special for generations, and we need to keep pushing for that."