The LPGA Tour's strict pace-of-play enforcement is expected to carry over to this week's BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province. Pictured is Korean American golfer Noh Ye-rin, who competed in last year's event. [Herald Sports DB]
The LPGA Tour's strict pace-of-play enforcement is expected to carry over to this week's BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province. Pictured is Korean American golfer Noh Ye-rin, who competed in last year's event. [Herald Sports DB]

The LPGA Tour has pulled out a tough penalty card in its bid to stamp out slow play, one of the sport's most persistent problems.

At last week's Buick LPGA Shanghai in China, Korean American golfer Noh Ye-rin and Carlota Ciganda of Spain each received two-stroke penalties for violating the tour's pace-of-play policy. Golf Digest reported Tuesday that both players exceeded the allotted time during the third round.

Golfweek noted that Ciganda, who has faced various forms of discipline for slow play over the years, was hit with a two-stroke penalty in the middle of a title contention at the Shanghai event, while Noh also failed to avoid a penalty in the same round.

The penalties in Shanghai have reignited debate within the tour over tougher slow-play enforcement. Charley Hull of England, known for her brisk pace on the course, told reporters that players who accumulate three slow-play penalties should have their tour membership suspended for up to a year.

That hardline atmosphere is expected to continue this week at the BMW Ladies Championship — the only LPGA Tour event held in South Korea — at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province.

The 15 KLPGA Tour players in the field, including Kim Min-sol and Seo Gyo-rim, have largely competed under more lenient conditions at home and will need to be especially alert. Adapting to the LPGA Tour's stricter pace-of-play policy will be essential to avoid a sudden penalty derailing their rounds.

The LPGA Tour has applied significantly tougher slow-play penalties since 2025. Players are given a base of 40 seconds to play a shot, with an additional 10 seconds for the first player in certain situations.

Under the old system, penalties were only triggered after multiple "bad times" had accumulated. Now, a single time violation brings an immediate sanction based on how much time was exceeded: a fine for going 1 to 5 seconds over, a one-stroke penalty for 6 to 15 seconds over, and a two-stroke penalty for exceeding the limit by 16 or more seconds.

The KLPGA Tour introduced a modified shot-clock system in 2023, but a buffer process still exists in which warnings precede penalties, and it is extremely rare for a rules official to immediately hand a top-ranked player a two-stroke penalty. Korean players could easily be caught off guard by the LPGA officials' strict stopwatch standards.

The venue sits right on the coast and is a classic links-style course defined by strong sea winds and constantly shifting wind directions. When the wind is unpredictable, players frequently switch clubs, step away from their address and recalculate before committing to a shot.

If a group falls behind the group ahead and comes under close monitoring by rules officials, a player who hesitates over a wind calculation could easily burn through the 40-second limit — running 16 or more seconds over and picking up two strokes in an instant, just as Ciganda and Noh did in Shanghai.

Particularly in the afternoon, when sea winds tend to pick up, how nimbly the KLPGA Tour players and their caddies manage their time will be one of the key things to watch.


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