Ex-Masters champion Patrick Reed and his group were given a stern warning by LIV Golf officials on Friday, before his playing partner Richard Bland was hit with a one-stroke penalty and a hefty fine.
Commencing the final stage of LIV's Individual Championship at Bolingbrook Golf Club, Illinois, Reed got off to an impressive start, posting a two-under-par to tie for fourth place.
Reed was paired with Richard Bland and Charl Schwartzel on the course but the duo didn't enjoy the same success, finishing on two-over and one-over respectively. However, their scores weren't the biggest talk of the day, as the slow play warning they all received became the main focus.
Officials clocked the group dragging behind the pace just five holes into their round, and slapped them with a strict directive by the seventh hole: insisting the trio had a 40-second shot limit or face consequences.
Bland felt the sting of non-compliance. The Englishman posted a birdie on the par-five 12th, but he was slapped with a one-stroke penalty. This not only altered what would have been an even-par round for him but also cost him thousands in fines.
A LIV Golf spokesperson stated: "In round one, the group of Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Reed and Richard Bland were officially warned by a rules official after their fifth hole of the day (hole 10), where the group was out of position on the golf course as well as behind in relation to time par.
"After their seventh hole of the day (hole 12) the group, who had further lost position on the course, was officially timed by a rules official. In accordance with the LIV Golf League's Pace of Play Policy, 'A player has 40 seconds to play each stroke, with an additional 10 seconds if they are the first to play any stroke in the group'.
"On the 12th hole, Bland's second stroke was timed exceeding the allotted time per policy. Bland was immediately notified by an official and assessed a one-stroke penalty as well as fined $10,000 (£7,500)."
The winner of the £13.7m Individual Championship will be determined on Sunday, with Jon Rahm looking like the favourite to take home the title.
