Ryan Fox Blasts PGA Tour Slow Play: 'Just Be Ready, It's Not Hard'

Fast Player, Faster Opinions

Ryan Fox has never been shy about his pace of play — he's one of the fastest decision-makers in professional golf, and he's got the stats to prove it (22 seconds for the biggest birdie putt of his career says it all). So when EssentiallySports caught up with the Open champion at the 2026 DP World India Championship and asked him about slow play on the PGA Tour, he didn't hold back.

But Fox's take isn't a simple "everyone needs to hurry up" rant. It's more nuanced — and honestly, more interesting.

It's Not About Thinking Time

Fox made a clear distinction between players taking time to actually think through a tough shot versus wasting everyone's time with unnecessary dawdling. He acknowledged that with ranking points, massive paychecks, brutal course setups, lightning-fast greens, and thick rough all on the line every week, some deliberation is justified. Difficult decisions deserve a few extra seconds.

What grinds his gears isn't careful shot-making — it's players who simply aren't ready to hit when it's their turn. That's his real pet peeve, and it's a simple fix that doesn't require a stopwatch or a rules overhaul.

Why This Keeps Coming Up

Slow play has been one of golf's most persistent controversies for years, with fans, broadcasters, and fellow pros regularly calling out excessive pre-shot routines, repeated club changes, and endless green-reading sessions. The USGA's Rule 5.6 already recommends a 40-second limit per shot once a player is clear to play, but enforcement on tour has historically been inconsistent, with penalties rarely handed out even to repeat offenders.

Fox's comments land at an interesting moment, as pace-of-play complaints have been trending louder on social media, with fans increasingly vocal about four-and-a-half-hour rounds dragging broadcasts and in-person experiences alike.

The Bigger Picture

What makes Fox's perspective valuable is that he's not calling for a blanket crackdown — he's identifying the actual problem. It's not the agonizing yardage calculations or green reads that bother him; it's basic preparedness. Players using their walk to the ball, their practice swings, and their wait time to get mentally ready — rather than starting that process only once it's officially their turn — could solve a huge chunk of the pace issue without changing a single rule.

It's a reminder that slow play isn't always about complicated decision-making. Sometimes it's just about habits, and habits are something players can control starting tomorrow.