[PHOTO: David Cannon]
World No.1 Nelly Korda needed one word to sum up her relief upon hearing that officials are set to address the issue of slow play on the LPGA Tour: “Finally.”
On Tuesday, the tour informed players that rules surrounding pace of play were being adjusted on tour. The news was first reported by Monday Q Info on X, with other outlets subsequently posting on social media information shared by the tour.
A LPGA spokesperson confirmed an updated pace-of-play policy was shared with players and will go into effect during the Ford Championship at Arizona’s Whirlwind Golf Club in March but said specifics of the policy would be made public next week.
According to the information shared with the LPGA players that has been posted on social media, various penalties will be handed out to players who exceed time limits to hit a shot. Players found to be one to five seconds over time would be fined, while a one-stroke penalty would be given to those six to 15 seconds over time and a two-stroke penalty for 16 seconds or more over time.
The first players in a group previously also received an additional 10-second allowance, but those rules will be changing. According to the information shown to players, “The first to hit on par 4s and par 5s will no longer receive an additional 10 seconds (except on reachable par 4s) and the first to hit on par 3s, approach shots and putts will still receive the extra 10 seconds.”
Dottie Pepper, who won 17 times on the LPGA Tour, posted a screenshot of the policy with this description: “@LPGA taking the lead on the Pace of Play issue. Respect!”
Indeed, pace of play has become one of the dominant storylines thus far in 2025 on the PGA Tour, but it isn’t a problem exclusive to the men’s game. It’s been a source of great angst on the LPGA Tour.
@LPGA taking the lead on the Pace of Play issue. Respect!! pic.twitter.com/ZiS9G4IZ2L
— Dottie Pepper (@dottie_pepper) February 5, 2025
“Finally, yeah. I’m very excited about it,” Korda said in a news conference before this week’s Founders Cup in Bradenton, Florida. “I think that’s one of the things that I’ve just noticed over my time on tour is that we used to go from five hours, under five hours to now it’s just five-and-a-half, typically, our rounds. I think implementing harsher rules is going to be good for the game of golf because they’re saying at the meeting, at the end of the day, [we’re a form of entertainment.] If we’re taking really long out there, that’s not entertaining.”
Asked about the reaction of those in a Tuesday meeting about the changes, Korda said: “I would say it was pretty positive around, yeah. I think it was more of people were asking how the rules officials time. What if a rules official times and they don’t see the ball still moving on the green and they start the timer but it’s not necessarily your time to hit because the other person theoretically the ball is still moving. Your time shouldn’t start yet… It’s going to be better for everyone that the rounds are going to be moving faster.”
In the information that the LPGA revealed to players, it was noted that under its previous policy in 2024, 22 golfers received a fine and nine received a two-stroke penalty. If the policy that will be used in 2025 was in effect last year, 23 players would’ve received a one-stroke penalty and eight would’ve received a two-stroke penalty.
“I think it’s great,” said Minjee Lee. “I would probably say something had to be done at some point. [It’s] 2025 and we’re just implementing a little more harsher rules. To start with, I think it’s going to be a great policy. Hopefully, we can go from strength to strength and get a little more quicker.”
