DP World Tour pro BLASTS slow play at ISPS Handa Worlds: "A f**kn joke!"
Mike Lorenzo-Vera hits out at fellow professionals for taking too long to play rounds of golf on the DP World Tour this week.
DP World Tour pro Mike Lorenzo-Vera has blasted the length of time it took rounds of golf to be played in the second round of the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
This week’s tournament is tri-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, with men’s and women’s tournaments played on two different courses (Galgorm Castle and Castlerock) at the same time for two equal prize funds of $1.5m.
Unfortunately for the players, fans and tournament officials this week though, rounds of golf are taking an incredibly long time out there for one reason or another.
Related: Best Golf Courses in Northern Ireland
While threeballs have been taking around the five-hour mark at Castlerock, rounds of golf are taking just shy of six hours over at Galgorm Castle, which will host the last two rounds over the weekend.
Lorenzo-Vera, who played at Galgorm Castle alongside England's Brandon Robinson Thompson and America's Jordan Gumberg on Friday afternoon, was not amused in the slightest by the pace of play in the second round.
5hrs40 to play a round of golf by professionals. A fuck’n joke.
— Mike Lorenzo-Vera (@MikeLorenzoVer1) August 18, 2023
Yes sir ! And the ref not pushing them.
— Mike Lorenzo-Vera (@MikeLorenzoVer1) August 18, 2023
Conditions may have been brutal in the first two rounds this week, with winds gusting up to 35mph, but Lorenzo-Vera considers the professionals are as much to blame than anything for the slow pace of play being experienced out there in Northern Ireland.
Lorenzo-Vera tweeted:
Thankfully Lorenzo-Vera ended up making the cut on the number at 3-over par.
He carded a 73 on Friday.
It's not the first time MLV has ripped into the pace of play on the DP World Tour.
The Frenchman then slammed the DP World Tour's approach to slow play a few days later, describing the battle as 'fake' as guilty parties sit on the Tournament Committee.
GolfMagic reached out to our good friend Gary Boyd (who finds himself in a tie for 19th on level par heading into the weekend) to get his take on matters after 36 holes at the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
Q school completed Full @Challenge_Tour status for 2023 season with a @DPWorldTour category to!! Its been a hell of a ride since pegging it up back in September at 1st stage but looking forward to the work ahead to get ready for next year.Thankyou to everyone for their support pic.twitter.com/TIf3L9Mwoh
— Gary Boyd (@GaryBoyd86) November 16, 2022
The 36-year-old Englishman told us he went round in just over five hours at Castlerock on Thursday and then five hours and 15 minutes at Galgorm Castle on Friday.
Boyd told us:
Daniel Brown added an exceptional 66 at Galgorm Castle to his opening 64 at Castlerock and the Englishman takes a commanding six-stroke lead on 11-under par into the weekend.
Matt Fitzpatrick's brother Alex Fitzpatrick finds himself in a tie for second with Spain's Angel Hidalgo on 5-under par.
The women’s event, being held concurrently with the men’s, is led by Marissa Steen, of the United States. The 33-year-old posted a round of 72 at Castlerock to lead by one stroke on 3-under par from Germany’s Esther Henseleit, with third place being shared by four players including overnight co-leaders Gabriella Cowley, of England, and Switzerland’s Kim Metraux.
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