USGA New Rules System Set to Speed Up Pace of Play at Majors
Pace of play is an issue that has plagued golf for a long time.
Whether it's a muni course round with your buddies or a stage as big as the U.S. Open pace of play matters. And for the pros this week at Shinnecock, getting rulings right fast can make a difference.
Winners and Losers From First Round of the 2026 U.S. Open
The USGA and T-Mobile collaborated to introduce a new rules system that can be accessed directly on your phone. They pointed out that in the past, officials would have to go to physical huts on the course to review a ruling, no matter how far it was.
This can lead to long delays and holding up the tournament for players and fans.
Now, they anticipate that with this new system, officials will be able to give a ruling in real-time to continue play quickly.
But it's not only important to get it fast, it's important to get it right.
For example, at last year's 2025 U.S. Open, Sam Burns had a lead in the final day, before a ruling went wrong and he had to hit out of a puddle of water in the fairway.
Burns went on to lose the tournament to J.J. Spaun, and fans point to this incorrect ruling to this day whenever the topic comes up.
That's the difference between winning a major and not, and it falls in the hands of human error making an incorrect decision.
To hear more about T-Mobile and USGA's collaboration to improve rulings at majors, watch this clip from the Dan Evans Show.
More U.S. Open from Sports Illustrated
- LIV Golf Star Gets Rare Two-Stroke Penalty at U.S. Open for Throwing a Fit on the Course
- Winners and Losers From First Round of the 2026 U.S. Open: Wyndham > Wind
- Rory McIlroy Blames Wind and Thanks It After Strong U.S. Open Start
- 2026 U.S. Open Payouts: How Much the Winner and Players Who Miss Cut Get Paid at Shinnecock
This article was originally published on www.si.com as USGA New Rules System Set to Speed Up Pace of Play at Majors.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 11:07 AM.