The LPGA Tour has had enough of slow play, and its new policy is the harshest in professional golf. After Nelly Korda’s public frustration over glacial pace during tournaments, including finishing a round at The Annika in near darkness, the tour is now hitting slow players where it hurts—with stroke penalties and fines.
What’s Changing? The LPGA Tour’s New Slow Play Policy
Starting at next month’s Ford Championship, the LPGA Tour will implement a strict timing system:
- 1-5 seconds over allotted time → Monetary fine
- 6-15 seconds over → One-shot penalty
- 16+ seconds over → Two-shot penalty
This aggressive new policy has already received support from two-time major winner and Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen, who says it’s exactly what the game needs.
Suzann Pettersen: “If There Are No Real Consequences, Players Won’t Adjust”
Pettersen, a fierce competitor known for her no-nonsense approach, didn’t hold back when discussing the issue.
“Now that I watch a lot of golf on TV, something needs to happen,” she told Golf Monthly. “The LPGA’s new policy might seem brutal, but if there are no real consequences, players won’t adjust.”
She echoed the frustration of players and fans alike, emphasizing that no one enjoys a five-and-a-half-hour round.
“It’s in everyone’s best interest to speed up play,” she added.
The PGA Tour Needs to Follow the LPGA’s Lead
While the LPGA Tour is taking decisive action, the PGA Tour is still dragging its feet on slow play.
Despite years of complaints from top players, including Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm, the PGA Tour has yet to introduce meaningful penalties for excessive deliberation.
Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour has already fined 22 players for slow play in 2024 alone, with nine of them receiving two-stroke penalties.
Fans have made it clear: they don’t want to watch five-hour rounds anymore. And if the PGA Tour doesn’t step up, the LPGA could end up setting the standard for pace of play across professional golf.
A New Era for Golf—Like It or Not
Not everyone will be thrilled about the tighter enforcement, but golf is evolving. The days of deliberate pre-shot routines and endless discussions with caddies could soon be over.
For players like Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, and Suzann Pettersen, this is a long-overdue change.
For slow players on both tours? It’s time to adapt—or face the consequences.
