Slow play in golf: Edoardo Molinari’s tweet prompted European Tour policy

Edoardo Molinari identifying slow players on Twitter led to the European Tour's measures to speed up play, says its chief executive Keith Pelley.

On Monday, a four-point plan was announced that includes an immediate one-stroke penalty if a player clocks two unacceptable times in a round.

There will also be increased fines for those who consistently fall behind.

Pelley said the ex-Ryder Cup player was “entirely right” to confront an issue that is golf's biggest talking point.

In April, the Italian tweeted a list of players who had been timed, showing the number of breaches they had committed and the total fines handed out.

It came after his second round at the Hassan Trophy took five hours 30 minutes to complete.

“I spoke to Edoardo shortly afterwards, and while I didn't necessarily agree with his chosen method, he was entirely right to confront the problem,” said Pelley.

“It prompted a discussion at the next tournament committee meeting, held at the British Masters in May.

“Thankfully, our tournament committee shared Edoardo's belief that enough was enough, and they were prepared to make some hard decisions, accepting the need to be more punitive.”