LIV Golf Player Given Slow Play Penalty At Valderrama

Throughout 2023, slow play has been a big talking point, with one of the major incidents coming at the 2023 Masters when Brooks Koepka slammed the pace of play during the final round of the first men's Major of the year.

Now, at the eighth LIV event of the season, LIV Golf Andalucia, officials have acted on slow play, with Richard Bland receiving a one-stroke penalty after his group were warned by officials and then put on the clock. The penalty was applied after Bland took 84 seconds to hit his tee shot on the par 3 15th.

According to LIV officials: "In round two, the group of Dean Burmester, Sergio Garcia and Richard Bland were officially warned by a rules official after their 4th hole of the day (hole 8) where the group was out of position on the golf course as well as behind in relation to time par.

"After their 9th hole of the day (hole 13) the group, who had further lost position on the course, was officially timed by a rules official. In accordance with the LIV Golf League Pace of Play Policy, “A player has 40 seconds to play each stroke, with an additional 10 seconds if they are the first to play any stroke in the group.”

"On the tee of the 15th hole, Richard Bland, who was first to play, received a time of 84 seconds for his first stroke. This exceeded the allotted time per the policy. Bland was immediately notified by an official and assessed a one-stroke penalty. With the one-stroke penalty, Bland’s score of 4 on the par-3 15th hole resulted in a score of 5."

For those interested, the last time a player received a slow penalty came at the 2021 PGA Championship, when John Catlin was given a shot penalty for infringements on the 16th and third holes. 

Along with Catlin, Guan Tianlang was infamously given a one-shot penalty for slow play during the 2013 Masters. Tianlang, who made history that week as the youngest player to feature in the tournament, was controversially handed a penalty, as was his playing partner, Matteo Manassero.