Sabbo, O'Hair Cat Fight Is Over Slow Play!

Considering that Sean O'Hair is a turtle and Rory Sabbatini is a rabbit, I'm not surprised by the revelation in Alex Miceli's look at the man-spat that broke out between the two PGA Tour giants.

According to sources, Sabbatini spent much of last Thursday and Friday complaining about the speed of play.  Eventually he asked O’Hair directly if he thought the speed of play was a problem and reportedly O’Hair said the problem was Sabbatini. Sources said O’Hair told Sabbatini that playing in a group with Sabbatini, a known speed-of-play advocate, was equal to a two-shot penalty for his playing competitors.

Steve Elling quotes Sabbatini after Wednesday's pro-am round, and he is playing dumb.

Pointedly asked after the pro-am if he was facing a suspension or under scrutiny, Sabbatini was equal parts defiant and testy.

"No, that is just all rumor, bud," he said. "You are going based on a rumor. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Pat Perez, the third player in the group in New Orleans, on Wednesday repeatedly declined to describe the altercation, which took place in a tee box during the second round.

"I am not going to be the guy on the front page," Perez said Wednesday at the tournament site. "It's for us to sort out."

There goes Pat's chances of winning the Jim Murray Award!

Comments

[chico]

I wonder if O'Hair has ever considered the possibility that playing with a snail is huge distraction to a quick player?

[Jay Townsend]

I think both are wrong, and you can add the Tour into that as well for enabling the slow players to have no fear of any meaningful reattribution (i.e. penalty strokes for slow play) to stop the problem. O'Hair is a slow player, while Sabbatini does not handle the situation properly.

That being said, in the days gone by, the players did put pressure on the slower players to speed up, but in todays ME ME ME society, these slow players don't care, hence the confrontation

[Old Hornet]

We know that Rory can be a prickly character (readers can decide if they prefer to shorten the adj. to a noun). Maybe he's just fed up with the deaf ear stance of the PGAT regarding pace of play. If that's the case, I can't fault the guy for taking the direct route. At work it was often best to deal with a co-worker issue face to face rather than running to the boss, especially when you believe nothing would be done. But today it will probably be punishment coupled with sensitivity training.

In LA he was completely out of line. Sounds like he was channeling Clayton Heafner.

[Jay Townsend]

I agree, LA was out of line, and punishable, but this time on slow play, not so much. He might not have done it the right way, but the O'Hair's, Holmes', Crane's, Harrington's, and last week Jimenez of the world need to be addressed, and not with monetary fines, either.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

I finally told a golf league friend/participant who was new to the game that if he took one more practice swing (7th or 8th) he was gonna have a reverse Titleist stamp placed on his forehead with a 7-iron. Gently, of course. Not the best way to handle the situation, but he started playing faster and better, and he didn't complain to the Commissioner. I guess that would be "conduct unbecoming" for a professional golfer? Unless you were the even-dispositioned Clayton Heafner.

[Used to be Former S&T Convert]

Playing with a slow player is usually like a two shot penalty on me not the turtle, sometimes I play even faster trying to drag the sloth along.

I knew that Clayton had a temper related to his golf game, never heard anything about him berating volunteers.

[Willie]

Might be time to bring in a mediator. I suggest Fulton Allem.

[rose]

Sabbo clearly suffers from an inability to control his impulses. That said, he is right to be irritated by slow play. If the Tour did anything to police this, Sabbo would not ever be in a position to protest. And Sean, grow up. If you can't handle playing with Sabbo or a little criticism of your interminable pre-shot routine, you can probably find a less stressful job at the local convenience store.

[keith T]

As much as the pace of play is appalling, I refuse to be on Rory's side of anything.

[Old Hornet]

You're right S&T, most of it was self-inflicted like beating his right hand bloody because of a hook, or diving in rose bushes after a bad round. But he did bring others into it occaisionally. Ask the guy that pronounced his name wrong on the first tee.

[thusgone]

two issues here: first, sabo and the posters are right that slow play is a problem and o'hair is a slow player. second, there is a right way and a wrong way to deal with a situation like this. sabo, as is his wont, chose the wrong way. he's got a ton of talent, but he's still a self-righteous idiot.

finally, i've always been entertained by sabo's verbal tic of ending every sentence with "bud."

[Brad Ford]

Until the Tour establishes are written standard for pace of play, this is going to be a problem. Name another sport that doesn't have some sort of non-subjective standard.

[digsouth]

The Tour is to blame for no punishment for slow play, but Rory, whom I sort of like, needs to get his wheels back under his car:

2 wrongs never make a right.

The POP for the last group at the Z in NOLA was terrible and made for boring TV.

Now an aside.

It does appear as if the networks HAVE BEEN READING and are trying to incorporate better commercial tming, and mor full shots ec into the coverage. However lots of people play on T and F, and the limied full field coverage and focusig on a 'featured group' on T &F is not always vry compelling viewing.

So an A for effort to all TV where it applies.

aside dos. Jay, that course last week looked GREAT. Man I thought the echanic was gonna ruin Lee's party, but....

[GolfGirl]

Sean O'Hair is the sexiest American on the PGA Tour today. Not that this fact is relevant to the current discussion, but I felt compelled to mention it.

[digsouth]

you know I'm geting well when the typos are flowing.

[mel]

@digsouth

Actually, I enjoyed reading that post. Reminded me of my youth and my Scholastic "Codes & Secret Writing" book.

Keep getting well. Cheers!

[Joey5Picks]

Solution: Put Sabbatini out in the first group for every round, no matter his score on the weekend. Secondly, the PGA tour needs to publish the fines/suspensions, etc. like all other sports leagues.

[Tighthead]

Rory may be a dick, but that doesn't mean he is wrong on this one. O'Hair needs to stuff the whinge about a two stroke penalty and harden the f*** up.

[Claude]

Sabbatini's been a hero of mine since he stormed away from the slow-crawling Ben Crane a few years ago.
I'm glad he gave O'Hair the business.
Go to any tournament, TRY to watch the game on TV, or just TRY to get around a muni in less than six hours.
The slowpokes should be hammered at every turn.

[OWGR Fan]

"between the two PGA Tour giants"................

Might be one of the funnier things posted here in a long time.

[Marky Mark]

In my opinion, slow play is one of the worst offenses in the game of golf - on par with cheating as far as I am concerned.

I don't care for Sabbatini at all, but if given the choice of playing with a fast a-hole, or a slow mellow guy, I would take the fast guy anyday.

[LiquidKaos]

I love this site...but, I guess since I'm a hack (and I didn't grow up playing golf, so I'm not all sour on the experience of being out there) ... I don't have big problems with slow play on local courses (Tour play affecting TV coverage is another matter..). It gives me more time to be out there, to take pictures, smell the air, whatever...if I played my first round in 15-16 seconds (like some of the pros on here), all I'd want to do is go play another 9 or 18 holes!

Rip away speed demons! :)


-LK

[golf pro]

Rory need to know the rules. If your with a slow player, walk slow play slow and do everything slow till you get the group on the clock. Than play your game and let the slow players get timmed. Now the tour just has to enforce all the rules. Big talk about balls moving on the green last week, and the wind or something moved his ball .2 inches for a 1 foot putt, he calls that on him self, but only the tour can call slow play, that is bs.

[thusgone]

how awesome would it be if a pro called a penalty on himself for slow play?

[A3golfer]

Sean o hair another young American that was supposed to challenge tiger. Ha. Funny.

[PA PLAYA]

O'Hair is going through an epic funk.... he parted ways with his longtime caddie last fall, and really hasn't contended in much of anything since his injury a few years ago. And as was pointed out - he's certainly not the quickest player on tour.

But Sabbatini's act is getting very old. The onus is on Finchem to resolve the slow play issue, not him. And FWIW, these guys could play in 4:30 every round and he still wouldn't be satisfied. When you have a player who berates fellow playing partners, or fans, or tournament staff - sorry.... the guy is a royal ass and he needs to be reprimanded for acting unprofessional.

So all of you guys who support his behavior - think about it the next time you take Eldrick to task for acting like an ass. I'm not a Woods fan by no means, but the standard should apply evenly across the board. To my knowledge, as poor a sport as Woods has occasionally been over the years - he has never acted like Sabbatini. Just because he's not a fan of slow play does not excuse his behavior.

$.02

[AK47]

Sabbo is a sanctimonious tool who's married to his female version. I'm just never going to be on that glamor couple's side in any argument. O'Hair ain't no hare but he's not the slowest guy out there. What he is is a god awful putter. My theory is bad putters (JB Holmes, too) take forever over their approach shots because they know it has to be a tap-in.

[Buffett]

At the 2010 Verizon Heritage I saw Sabbatini slam his club repeatedly on the side of a green because his drive on the par 3 hole rolled down the side. As he was walking off he paused to speak with a young man who was mentally challenged and minding the ropes. The crowd applauded Sabbatini. His support for wounded veterans also serves him in good stead.

[LiquidKaos]

@Digs -

The Tours aren't reading TOO closely...I haven't received my job offer and airplane ticket to film the next event, lol.


-LK