PGA Tour Introduces Rangefinder Rule, Includes Disqualification Penalties

Following Rory McIlroy's Masters victory—where slow play by competitors was highlighted as a distraction—the PGA Tour is introducing a new rule allowing players to use rangefinders set to 'distance-only' mode in select events, aiming to speed up the pace of play. This experimental measure, announced earlier but enacted after McIlroy's win, will be tested across several tournaments, including the RBC Heritage, Corales Puntacana, Truist Championship, and Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic. The use of rangefinders is already common in other tours and championships, and PGA Tour officials see this as a potential solution to long-standing pace-of-play issues. Players who use any function beyond 'distance-only' will face a two-stroke penalty for a first offense and disqualification for a second. The initiative responds directly to criticism of slow play impacting players, as noted by analysts and McIlroy himself, and could signal broader changes if successful. The rule is part of a broader effort by the PGA Tour to modernize and streamline the game for both participants and spectators.