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Slow play in Shanghai: LPGA hands out multiple two-stroke penalties

The LPGA’s crackdown on slow play took center stage at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, where two top contenders faced stiff penalties during Saturday’s third round. Carlota Ciganda, who had been in contention, was hit with a two-stroke penalty after exceeding time limits on the par-4 13th hole at Sheshan Golf Club, turning a potential par into a double bogey.

Despite the setback, she rallied with consecutive birdies on the next two holes, finishing with a 1-under 71 and climbing to a tie for fourth entering the final round. The penalty wasn’t an isolated incident—Yealimi Noh also received a slow-play penalty, marking the second such enforcement of the LPGA’s updated pace-of-play rules, which now allow officials to impose penalties without prior warnings in extreme cases.

Ciganda, who has faced slow-play issues before—including a disqualification at the 2023 Evian Championship—showed resilience by bouncing back quickly, though the penalties underscore the tour’s push to enforce stricter timing rules amid growing frustration over pace-of-play problems.

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