Matt Fitzpatrick's frustration boiled over at the Valspar Championship. A playing partner's slow pace not only led to an official warning but also disrupted Fitzpatrick's pace.

On Sunday, during the final round, a delay on the 11th hole from Adrien Dumont de Chassart disrupted play as the three-time PGA Tour winner waited on the green for his partner to complete the hole.

"It was slow today. I felt like there was a lot of stop/start. Yeah, just, you know, just not ready. When you're not ready to play a golf shot, it gets frustrating after a while," said Matt Fitzpatrick.

"Particularly when you're playing well yourself, or you're in contention or whatever it is,” he added during the Valspar Championship press conference on Sunday.

On the par-5 11th, Fitzpatrick played his approach first and walked to the green, where he waited three minutes before play continued.

“It definitely knocks you out of your rhythm. Because you hit, you walk to it, you kind of think about it, you hit again, and you go... It definitely knocked me out of rhythm I felt like for the next two, three holes.”

On the broadcast, John Wood said Fitzpatrick looked affected by his partner’s pace, while Brad Faxon pointed out that he had hit first and was left waiting on the green.

PGA Tour Pace-of-Play Rules Come Into Focus After Matt Fitzpatrick's Statement

As confirmed by Orlando Pope, the group was timed, and a warning was issued for slow play. The 26-year-old Belgian played out of the trees, advanced his next shot a short distance, and made a triple bogey on the hole.

Matt Fitzpatrick missed a birdie putt there but continued his round and finished at 11-under, winning by one shot over David Lipsky. However, it could've ended differently for the pair if Fitzpatrick hadn't regained composure.

The PGA Tour has introduced stricter pace-of-play guidelines this season. Under the 2026 player handbook, a player is given 40 seconds to play a stroke, with certain situations allowing up to 50 seconds.

A stroke is considered over time when the first player in a group takes more than 120 seconds, or when the following players take more than 100 seconds. When these instances add up, fines can be applied.

If a group is placed on the clock by officials, further breaches can lead to stroke penalties, which may increase step by step and can also result in disqualification.

So, what do you take from Matt Fitzpatrick's statement? Do you agree with the PGA Tour enforcing tougher penalties on pacing delays? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi