An Unlikely Hero

Fifty minutes into Harris English’s closing round, as he stood on the third tee, the outcome of the Farmers Insurance Open hung in the balance. Just under six hours later, English emerged victorious, holding off Sam Stevens by a stroke and playing partner Andrew Novak by two. It was a classy winning effort from the 35-year-old, who played his final 13 holes 1-under par in cold, windy conditions, gaining more than two shots to the field over that stretch. Now 14 years into his career, the former Ryder Cupper has amassed a solid résumé, with five PGA Tour wins spanning more than a decade. In a few weeks time, English has a chance at history as he seeks to become the first player on the PGA Tour to win at Torrey Pines twice in a month.

The real star of Saturday’s final round, however, may have been Dottie Pepper, who broke her silence as the leaders played the 10th hole to address the elephant in the thick rough. She lambasted the pace of play on the PGA Tour, appropriately framing the issue as a matter of respect. Yes, conditions were difficult. Nonetheless, a tournament could be hosted in the middle of a typhoon – as long as there’s room for TIO infrastructure, of course – and it shouldn’t take more than three hours to get to the 10th fairway. Pepper’s assessment is spot on; the length of professional golf rounds is disrespectful to “fast”-playing competitors, to the broadcast, and to the backbone of the sport – the fans.

It’s refreshing to hear a broadcast partner call out the PGA Tour in plain sight, a rare phenomenon that may become more frequent while the Tour twiddles its thumbs and ratings continue to decline. Frank Nobilo concurred with Pepper and has also alluded to the problems imposed by modern technology during recent telecasts.

Hearing the honest perspectives from voices in the game who seem to have the best long-term interests of the sport in mind was a refreshing change of pace from the usual programming, like the Titleist ads peppering viewers throughout the broadcast. Kudos to the CBS team for calling out what needs to be called out.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.