The scourge of slow play returned on the LPGA Tour in Shanghai – and there was a familiar culprit…
She is as notorious for her deliberate and tedious approach on the LPGA Tour as she is for her incredible nerve in Solheim Cup duels.
And not for the first time in her impressive career, Carlota Ciganda was slapped with a costly two-stroke penalty for slow play in the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
As reported by Sky Sports’ Richard Kaufman, the Spanish veteran was found to have taken too long on the par-4 13th hole during the third round at Sheshan International Golf Club.
The LPGA is clamping down on slow play, with a new policy that states 1-5 seconds over allotted time is worthy of a fine, with 6-15 seconds a stroke penalty and more than 16 seconds resulting in two shots being knocked off the scorecard.
That’s exactly what happened to Ciganda, whose par-four became a double-bogey six. She bounced back with back-to-back birdies to put herself back in contention in the $3.2 million event. Ciganda finished in a tie for 5th after a 2-under par final round on Sunday.
Notably, however, this is not the first time Ciganda has been penalized for egregious slow play. At the 2023 Evian Championship, Ciganda was disqualified after losing an appeal against a two-stroke penalty and refusing to sign her scorecard.
Ciganda was not the only player to be found foul of slow play in China. Solheim Cup rival Yealimi Noh also received a penalty and ultimately finished in a tie for 32nd.