One thing the Golf Channel Games taught us: Pro golfers can play faster

The Golf Channel Games are in the books, and it's safe to say the inaugural edition was a success.

Scottie Scheffler defeated Rory McIlroy in a playoff, a roughly 50-yard chip shot that Scheffler hit 2 inches closer than McIlroy, to win the competition. The event was golf's version of the NBA All-Star Game, a made-for-TV event with different competitions like speed golf, a 14-club challenge and more, with the top-two players in the world the faces of their teams.

"We tried something new," McIlroy said. "And sometimes when you try something new it doesn't work out. But I think this one really did. I think the biggest thing is all the players were into it. It was fun. It was a different format, a lot more interaction between the players as opposed to traditional golf. So, yeah, overall it was an awesome night."

As mentioned, one of the competitions (all of which featured a timer) was a team relay, with players stationed on the tee box, fairway and green trying to complete a hole as quickly as they could. On one par 4, McIlroy's team made a birdie in 28 seconds, with Luke Donald hitting the tee shot, McIlroy hitting the approach and Lowry sinking a short birdie putt.

Rory’s approach here just shows pros take WAY too long to hit shots pic.twitter.com/KRizDHY8fk

— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) December 18, 2025

And one thing stood out from this sequence: pro golfers can play fast and play well.

This isn't the only takeaway from the night, but pace of play is a conversation that hovers over the entirety of professional golf, whether men's or women's, and is a constant topic from tournaments in January to the major championships over the summer. And the Golf Channel Games is about as far removed from competitive golf as you can be for the best players in the world, but it showed they can still hit incredible shots with essentially zero time to prepare for them.

McIlroy's approach shot is particularly striking for this argument. After Donald hits the tee shot, the ball is at rest for less than two seconds before McIlroy hits it. In one motion, he gets set and begins his swing. The time between Donald hitting the golf ball and McIlroy doing so in the fairway was only eight seconds. That's an eternity in bull riding. In golf, only Ludvig Aberg dreams of hitting a golf shot that quickly.

Not only does he hit the shot as quickly as possibly, McIlroy hit it brilliantly to inside of 10 feet, with Lowry having to wait for the ball to stop moving before knocking in the birdie look. From tee shot to the ball dropping in the cup, it took 28 seconds to complete the hole.

Now, asking for a pro golfer to complete a hole in 28 seconds on their own is absurd to even think about. But seeing how quickly McIlroy hits the approach shot just begs the question as to why golfers take so long to hit shots.

The Golf Channel Games is not the Masters, the Players or let alone the 3M Open. There's a lot of money on the line a professional golf events. The difference in one shot can be hundreds of thousands of dollars for some and even job security for others. There's also weather to factor in, different conditions based on where the ball is at whether that's the fairway, rough or a sand trap and there are other pros playing that players have to wait on to play their own shots.

But if McIlroy can step up and hit a shot that quickly and that good, why can't professional golfers play more quickly during tournament rounds?

Recent efforts have been made to expedite play on both the PGA Tour and LPGA, although there are still numerous instances throughout the year where slow play becomes so severe that it sparks controversy on social media. Some players are notorious for their slow play, especially golfers who AimPoint a 2-foot putt. It's glorified when they're in contention on golf's biggest stages.

How fast is too fast? Surely every single player can shave time off their routines. So much data and information go into hitting a golf shot. Players want to be as prepared as they can be to make a stroke, and as mentioned, it's important to take every shot just as serious as the previous one and as the ones to come. But perhaps all of the mental gymnastics is more detrimental than it is beneficial.

Players can only go so fast, too, with tee times normally spread out over two hours during a two-tee start at events, so the lead group can only go so fast as not to have to wait after making the turn. But if the overall pace of play were to pick up, the gap between tee times could be decreased in an effort to get players on and off the course quickly.

At the end of the day, professional golf is a business where thousands are trying to make a living, make history or grind it out for another shot at glory. The time and effort that goes into making a single shot on the PGA Tour, LPGA or the developmental tours can be the difference in thousands of dollars or job security. It's insane to think anyone can play as quickly as the No. 2 player in the world did in a timed competition where he was waiting for a tee shot in the fairway.

But it without a doubt shows that players can play faster. Maybe it's actually time to police slow play instead of giving it a slap on the wrist when infractions do occur.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 1 thing the Golf Channel Games taught us: Pro golfers can play faster