USGA Rule 5.6 “encourages prompt pace of play by recommending that: A player should make a stroke in no more than 40 seconds (and usually in less time) after the player is able to play without interference or distraction.”

As crazy as it sounds, golf may be the only popular sport that brings better results the slower you go. But while it rewards patience, reigning Open champion Ryan Fox believes there is a difference between taking time to play a difficult shot and wasting it. And when EssentiallySports, currently covering the 2026 DP World India Championship on the ground, asked his views about formulating a policy around pace of play, he had his thoughts lined up.

“I mean, I think pace of play is a tough one, right? Like I obviously play fast. I always have. It’s kind of frustrating when it’s slow,” Fox told EssentiallySports and the reporters in New Delhi, India, ahead of the event. “But I also understand the fact that most of the time we’re playing for a lot every week in terms of ranking points and money and everything else that comes with a golf tournament. We’re playing a golf course set up as hard as it can be. Greens generally as fast as they’ll ever be; the rough is up. So it takes time and some of the decision making around shots is pretty difficult.

“My pet peeve is just guys not being ready when that’s their turn. I don’t think you can legislate that by rules. It’s just a bit of education, going, ‘Hey, guys, it’s not hard to get your number, to have made your decision, and when it’s your turn to go you can be ready to go.'”

You see, a golfer’s performance on the course usually depends on two things they can control: their strategy and their instinct. But it never begins on the day of. They reach their venues a few days in advance and create a game plan along with their coaches and/or caddies to have consistent play across the 18 holes. The plan includes a general idea of the yardages, course conditions, weather, and risk assessments that could be the biggest factors for the player. And that’s where their instincts come in – shape every shot according to whatever factor has changed.

In any way, it isn’t like they are being dropped on a course they have no clue about. If they are, use your experience to create a strategy before every shot. But for Fox, of course, the game usually feels like pure instinct. His caddie, Dean Smith, even declared him “the fastest player in the world.” He wasn’t without a reason.

In the final round of his 2026 Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale, he was vying for his maiden major victory at 39 years old. But instead of deliberation, he simply sank his winning 11-foot birdie putt just 22 seconds after his playing partner, Sam Burns, removed his ball from the hole. No double-checking, no second thoughts. Just pure instincts. His pace is a legend in golf today, but he remains grounded.

“It’s not that difficult to pick a shot and pick a club,” Fox said then. “I get in there, and it all happens quick. I was never methodical at anything, to be honest. The less time I have to think about it, the less bad stuff can creep in there.”

Well, Fox, that’s some way to undermine your own confidence. But he may have these views because he understands how his own journey originated.

Unlike his speedy play that doesn’t allow any doubt to linger, he actually picked up the game at the age of 17. He didn’t turn pro until his mid-20s and became a DP World Tour rookie at 30. It took him seven years from there to reach the PGA Tour. But once it happened, nothing seemed to stop him, not even his own thoughts.

However, the New Zealander does understand why others need all of the 40 seconds allotted to them and was not hard-bent on his own comment.

Ryan Fox sets the record straight on his superpower only to go back to understanding others’ dilemma

It’s not just this time; Fox has been shocking everyone with his quick shots for years now. But when it comes to formulating a legitimate rule, he doesn’t believe there is a black-and-white area.

“There is obviously going to be some exceptions to that around a ruling or you’re directly in someone’s line or whatever else. But I guess, yeah, if we could have more guys ready when it’s their turn that would be great. I think a lot of guys do a good job of that, but there is definitely a select few that struggle with it. I guess it is what it is.”

Professional golf requires careful calculations, particularly when firm greens, challenging rough, and difficult pin positions complicate shot selection. But Fox’s frustration begins when a player waits until his turn to start working through those decisions. He voiced his frustrations in July 2026 on the Fore Play Podcast as well. Despite his frustration, though, Fox recognizes that introducing a straightforward rule to address the issue is easier said than done.

As he claimed, he previously served on a DP World Tour committee and has participated in discussions about possible ways to improve playing speed. He explained that common-sense rules can be hard to implement because players expect clear, written requirements, a challenge for tournament officials, because despite Rule 5.6, pace-of-play policies cannot be applied consistently.

Recent enforcement efforts demonstrate that officials are taking the issue seriously.

At the 2026 BMW PGA Championship, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood received bad times under the DP World Tour’s pace-of-play procedures.

The New Zealander also knows that his pace of play is unusual. Therefore, he ended his assessment with a touch of humor:

“If everyone played as fast as me, that would be nice, but I know that’s not going to be the case.”