Scottie Scheffler Frustrated by Slow Play Penalties at BMW Championship

OWINGS MILLS, Maryland — Scottie Scheffler expressed his frustration with pace of play penalties during the third round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley on Saturday. Despite shooting a three-under 67, Scheffler felt misjudged as he faced timing issues throughout his round.

On the 9th hole, Scheffler and his playing partner, Robert MacIntyre, received a warning for being behind the allotted pace, which led to confusion for the top-ranked golfer. “I didn’t feel like I did anything to put us behind on time,” Scheffler said after his round. “It’s frustrating.”

While attempting to keep pace through holes 9, 10, and 11, Scheffler said their efforts did not reflect on their timing. “We somehow didn’t gain a single second on pace of play,” he added. The pace of play has been a constant topic in professional golf, and this year, the PGA Tour has renewed focus on it.

Another group, featuring Patrick Cantlay and Shane Lowry, also faced scrutiny for slow play, with NBC and Golf Channel broadcasting a “pace chart” during the round. The graphic indicated Cantlay and Lowry fell seven minutes behind their target time. Golf Channel rules analyst Mark Dusbabek stated, “They’ve continually lost time along the way.”

PGA Tour officials warned Cantlay and Lowry as early as the fourth hole, indicating that they needed to speed up or face penalties. Despite the potential for punishments, penalties for slow play have not been frequently enforced in recent years.

As the tournament heads into its final round, players are hopeful that the emphasis on pace of play will decrease frustrations on the course. Scheffler concluded, “Overall I did what I could to keep us on pace, and hopefully we don’t run into that situation tomorrow.”