The PGA Tour has announced that players will be permitted to use rangefinders on the “distance-only” setting during games, following Rory McIlroy’s Masters win

(Image: Andrew Redington, Getty Images)

In a bid to boost the pace of play, the PGA Tour is testing the waters with rangefinders. It is a move that comes fresh off the heels of Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph, where there were questions over some play from some of the competitors on show.

McIlroy, 35, clinched his first Green Jacket in a nail-biting playoff against Justin Rose. He joins an exclusive group as the sixth golfer to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the first since the legendary Tiger Woods did so in 2000. But his Masters had got off initially to a poor start. Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley suggested that McIlroy’s initial struggles were down to playing partner Akshay Bhatia, and his slow play.

“I think he got distracted,” McGinley observed at one point. “It took him a long time to play that pitch shot. His playing partner Akshay Bhatia put his second in the water. He took ages to play his shot – he took about 10 practice swings.

“He is such a quick player – he wants to get on with hit. He got distracted. I don’t blame Bhatia or the players walking off 16. For a player who likes to play quickly, it was a drop in concentration. And that is what great champions don’t do. And I am sure that the 17th was a legacy of it.”

This development underscores the PGA Tour’s efforts to address the long-standing issue of slow play, which has been a source of frustration for many golfers, including McIlroy.

The introduction of rangefinders could potentially help streamline the game, allowing players to focus on their shots rather than getting bogged down in time-consuming measurements.

Players will be allowed to use rangefinders with the “distance-only” setting during play. This groundbreaking decision was first unveiled at the Players Championship and is set to kick in at the upcoming RBC Heritage and Corales Puntacana events. The new rule will also apply to the Truist Championship and Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic.

However, any player caught using features other than the “distance-only” mode will face penalties. The first offence will result in a two-stroke penalty, while a second offence will lead to automatic disqualification from the tournament.

When asked for his thoughts on how to speed up the game ahead of Pebble Beach, McIlroy admitted he was stumped, saying he had “no idea”. He pointed out the increasing complexity of courses like Torrey Pines and highlighted the complications added by factors such as wind and green speeds. He also suggested smaller fields could help, but acknowledged this would reduce playing opportunities and potentially upset some people.

“The other thing is when we play in this time of the year, the tee times have to be a little bit tighter together so that they can get everyone through with daylight and everything,” he said. “If you could be able to space the tee times out a little bit more, that would hopefully make things flow a little bit better.

“Nowadays, most people go for par 5s in two, so you’ve got to wait on that. You’ve got longer par 3s. There’s a lot of different things that go into it. I don’t know.

“It seems like it’s – you can maybe improve it by 15 or 20 minutes, but that’s still a five-and-a-half hour round into a five-hour and 15 round, so is that really improving it enough to make a huge change? I don’t know.”