"I would start stroking guys" - Brooks Koepka wants players stroked for slow play

Brooks Koepka sounded off while talking about the infamous 'slow-play' controversy prior to the 2023 PGA Championship. The American golfer is widely renowned for playing swiftly on the course and had grumbled about the Masters' slow play.

Koepka proposed a simple solution to the contentious topic in a pre-tournament interview on Wednesday, May 17. He suggested that officials should impose a stroke penalty on players who wait more than 40 seconds to take a single shot. Koepka said:

“I mean, yeah, it's never quick. I was talking about it when I was on the PGA Tour too, so I'm not afraid to talk about it. There's a lot of guys out here that take their time. I think it is a problem. Technically in the rule book it says you have 40 seconds to hit your shot. I think that's what it is. If you are taking over, technically you're breaking the rules, right? So, I don't know."

“I would start stroking guys. If you are going to take that long, you have to get stroked. There are certain circumstances where the wind switches, something like that, it's understandable, but taking a while is I just think unnecessary,” he continued.

In professional competitions, slow-play penalties are uncommon. Fans chastised Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland for apparently playing too slowly in the Masters.

Brooks Koepka remarked at the Masters that the group (Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland) ahead of him was "brutally slow". He stated that his playing partner Jon Rahm used the restroom seven times throughout the round because the group was taking a lot of time.

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Brooks Koepka talks about using stopwatches in professional matches

Brooks Koepka was irritated when competing in the Masters last month. As a result, he feels that officials should frequently use their authority and apply a one-stroke penalty. He also discussed the employment of stop clocks to keep track of the participants in professional events.

Koepka mentioned baseball's new pitch clock and the DP World Tour's 2018 Shot Clock and stated:

“That's why they've got the pitch clock, right? Technically I think you saw DP, they did a shot clock event. I think it was a couple of years ago, if I'm right. I can't remember if anybody got clocked for it, but it would be interesting to see."

Koepka went on to talk about using a stopwatch at the 2023 PGA Championship.

“I know if you follow guys around with a stopwatch this week, there will be plenty of guys that are over time and stuff like that, but I can't remember the last time anybody was stroked. I remember the little kid at Augusta. I don't know if anybody has been stroked since. That's kind of the most recent one I can think of," he added.

Brooks Koepka has won two PGA Championships in his career and will be attempting a third this week. He last competed at the Masters in April, finishing second to LIV Golf player Phil Mickelson.