At the PGA Championship, pace of play has been a hot topic, with rounds stretching well past five hours on both Thursday and Friday. While social media has been quick to criticize, enforcing pace rules on a challenging course isn't as straightforward as it seems.

Early Friday, the group of Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley, and Cameron Young found themselves in the spotlight when they were officially put on the clock. Television cameras captured Thomas and Bradley in an animated discussion with a rules official, sparking debate among fans and analysts alike.

"We just didn't really agree with it," Thomas explained. "It's hard because it's kind of the whole 'time par' thing. What is time par? How can time par on this course be the same when it's blowing 25 mph and the pins are tough, compared to when it's calm? Does time par change every day? There are just so many factors."

Thomas emphasized that his group wasn't upset about being behind schedule—they acknowledged they were. Instead, their frustration stemmed from the lack of consideration for the conditions. "We weren't holding up the group behind us," he added. "That's the real issue."

The group managed to catch up on the next hole and was taken off the clock, but this wasn't an isolated incident. Alex Smalley, who sat just one shot off the early lead after a solid 69 in the second round, was also put on the clock midway through his round.

Thomas summed up the broader challenge: "The hard part with the whole pace-of-play thing is that there's so much that goes into golf—hole to hole, are you hitting it close? Can you tap it in, or do you have to mark it? It's very difficult to make that call fairly."

As the tournament continues, the debate over pace of play—and how to balance it with the demands of a major championship—shows no signs of slowing down.