JJ Spaun Warned at The Open Amid Chaotic First Round Delays
What a dramatic start to The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. US Open champion JJ Spaun found himself under the spotlight on Thursday—not for his swing, but for his pace of play. Just a few weeks after capturing his first major title at Oakmont, Spaun was slapped with a warning for slow play during the opening round in Northern Ireland. And that warning? It wasn’t just a slap on the wrist—it puts him just one misstep away from a one-stroke penalty.
Spaun, grouped with 2024 Open winner Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm, was put on the clock as their group’s pace dragged toward the end of the round. By the time they reached the 18th hole, they had been on the course for five and a half hours. That’s when officials told Spaun he exceeded the 50-second shot time on the 17th hole—earning him a formal warning. Not a penalty—yet—but if he racks up another bad time, that’s exactly what he’ll get in round two.
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To be fair, Spaun wasn’t the only one struggling. The entire field seemed bogged down by brutal conditions—wind, rain, and long delays between shots. Some players didn’t finish their rounds until nearly 9:00 PM, having teed off more than five hours earlier. Rory McIlroy was one of them, grinding it out for almost six hours. LIV Golf’s Marc Leishman joked that it felt like a 12-hour shift, saying they’d been crawling through the front nine for over three hours.
The issue wasn’t just weather-related. Unlike many U.S.-based majors where players start on both the 1st and 10th tees to ease congestion, The Open stuck to traditional single-tee starts. With 156 players out there and a tough layout to battle, it created serious backlogs. At one point, five groups were stacked up at the 7th tee, waiting to hit.
This isn’t the first time slow play has plagued a major—last month’s US Open had similar complaints. But Thursday at Portrush took it to another level. Commentary ranged from frustrated players to golf pundits online, many calling it outright "diabolical." And Spaun? He’s now a prime example of how quickly a stellar season can be disrupted by issues off the fairway.
The good news? There’s still time for things to smooth out as round two gets underway. But all eyes will definitely be on Spaun to see if he can quicken his pace and avoid a costly penalty.
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