Charley Hoffman echoes Justin Thomas’ concerns in his new memo to PGA Tour members: "We all need to take responsibility"

Following Justin Thomas, Charley Hoffman is the latest PGA Tour member to raise concerns about the current situation. On Sunday, February 2, he sent a memo to fellow members in which he echoed Thomas' comments and also addressed the recent criticism regarding pace of play.

Charley Hoffman, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and a member for over 20 years, noted that the slow pace on the circuit has faced significant criticism in recent weeks. Viewership has also been affected and continues to decline.

In his letter, Charley Hoffman mentioned that he had some thoughts to share after playing for 20 years on the PGA Tour and holding several positions on the policy board.

"We've taken a lot of heat over the past few weeks about slow play," he wrote. "And yeah, it's an issue-for our fans, for us as players-cutting down field sizes will help, but only by a few minutes a day. As players, we still need to make a concerted effort to speed up. Pace of play has been a challenge my entire 20 years on Tour, and it was an issue 20 years before that."

"Golf is a tough game, and when conditions get extreme, it takes time to play it the right way. We all need to take responsibility to be ready when it's our turn to play and having the awareness to realize that we are out of position and speed up even before the rules official shows up. We do it all the time, we just need to be more aware of it," he added.

Charley Hoffman also mentioned Justin Thomas, who had raised similar concerns in his letter a couple of weeks ago. Hoffman wrote that players have a responsibility to work with broadcasters to provide fans with a better viewing experience. He added that, while doing this, it is also important to ensure players are properly highlighted.

"We're the best golfers in the world competing on the best Tour in the world. That should always be the focus-showcasing the thought, skill, passion, and competition that makes our game great. Our officials do a solid job of managing broadcast windows based on real pace-of-play data, not just arbitrary numbers. Our staff did an amazing job finishing in the broadcast window last week at the Farmers Insurance Open."

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"We only got two new unique playing opportunities for our members," - Charley Hoffman criticizes AON Swing 5

Charley Hoffman further stated that while the AON Swing 5 was a great concept to provide players more opportunities to compete in signature events, he felt it needed to be implemented as originally intended. He cited the example of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where only two players qualified through the AON Swing 5, and three alternates later earned the remaining spots.

"So in my mind we only got two new unique playing opportunities for our members," he continued. "As a PAC member, we will be sure to continue monitoring this to make sure these initiatives help the guys they're meant to."

The 48-year-old golfer also urged members to support more PGA Tour events instead of playing in European Tour events and the TGL.

"Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that's going to continue regardless of field size," he concluded.

For the uninitiated, the DP World Tour Championship featured several familiar names from the PGA Tour. TGL also features 24 players from the Tour in action over the next few weeks.