Charley Hoffman has called on his fellow PGA Tour players to tackle slow play and other pressing issues within the sport. In a letter shared by Golf Magazine on Sunday night, Hoffman echoed sentiments similar to Justin Thomas’ recent memo, which urged golfers to support broadcast partners to enhance fan engagement and television ratings.
“We’ve taken a lot of heat over the past few weeks about slow play,” Hoffman wrote. “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 have the awareness to realize when 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, 48, a four-time PGA Tour winner, most recently claimed victory at the 2016 Valero Texas Open. The Poway, California native has served multiple terms on the Player Advisory Council and twice on the PGA Tour’s higher-level policy board.
“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 stated. “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 addressed the limited opportunities for players to qualify for Signature Events, pledging to monitor how the AON Swing 5 is integrated into the process as part of his role on the Player Advisory Council.
Hoffman was particularly critical of players who reduce their PGA Tour participation yet still compete in non-tour events like the TGL and Race to Dubai.
“If we truly care about strengthening our Tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can,” he 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.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
