Scottie Scheffler reasons slow play at US Open again, gets real about Oakmont in the process

Most golfers, including Scottie Scheffler, aren’t fans of slow play. Many have come forward demanding rule changes to ensure a good pace of play. However, Scheffler didn’t seem to mind the excruciating slow play at the US Open 2025 last weekend. The golfer has now credited the host course Oakmont’s size as one of the reasons for the sluggish movement of play.

For the unversed, the first two rounds of the US Open at the Oakmont Country Club were among the slowest in major history. The demanding 7,400-yard course also faced stormy conditions, that had 156 players’ threesomes moving slower than usual. Interestingly, Scheffler was one of the firsts to defend the slow play, dubbing it ‘ok’ just for the event. A week after this, the ace golfer has now reiterated that the distances between tee boxes were among the biggest factors affecting play last weekend.

Speaking after the first round of Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, the 28-year-old said “twosomes make a significant difference” for pace of play. He added that the Connecticut golf course is “much shorter” compared to the US Open one.

Replying to a media query about the difference in pace of play at US Open and Travelers Championship, Scottie Scheffler said, as quoted by ASAP Sports:

“Well, I think if you're going to look at the pace of play debate, I think twosomes makes a significant difference in terms of what we can do for pace of play. You also have two completely different golf courses between Oakmont and this one. The distance between tees on this golf course is much shorter. The holes are also shorter. It's simpler to get around this place. Oakmont is a big piece of property where the tee boxes are far apart. The holes go back and forth, but you finish one hole and you walk 100 yards back to the next tee, and it's also so difficult so you're hitting a lot more shots, as well.”

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Scottie Scheffler 'ok' with five-and-a-half hour US Open round

For the unversed, Scottie Scheffler was part of the Friday morning marquee group at US Open 2025 that included Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa. The trio took 71 minutes to complete their first three holes. Owing to the harsh weather conditions, they took a whopping five hours and 44 minutes to finish the second round.

The reigning PGA Championship winner came out of the round with a forgettable 71. Despite this, the 16-time PGA Tour winner wasn’t affected by the average round times in the five-and-a-half hour range.

Speaking about his round, Scottie Scheffler said after US Open round 2, as quoted by Sky Sports:

“It felt long to me… You guys are the ones watching. I’m just trying to play. I’ve got too many concerns other than the pace it takes to get around this place… Going into a golf course like this with this many players and this tough of a golf course, you know it’s going to take a while.”

Scottie Scheffler, much like on Thursday at Travelers Championship, cited Oakmont’s size as a reason for slow play. He dubbed it a “big piece of property” and said it “takes time” to cover. Furthermore, he laughingly said players take their time to hit “that many golf shots.” Notably, his group mate Collin Morikawa also agreed to the sentiment.

Edited by Vishnu Mohan