Sluggish play has been a pertinent subject of debate on the LPGA this season. And the most important stars within the recreation have had sufficient.
Two days after profitable her seventh occasion of the season at The ANNIKA, Nelly Korda fielded a query concerning the glacial tempo of play that has plagued the LPGA for years. She provided a easy but efficient answer, one which needs to be enforced time and time once more.
“Gamers simply should be penalized,” Korda mentioned blatantly.
“Guidelines officers want to look at from the primary group. As soon as they get two minutes behind, one minute behind, it simply slows every little thing down.”
Korda’s feedback got here quickly after Lexi Thompson took a shot on the LPGA’s sluggish tempo of play. Thompson talked about how aggressive rounds shouldn’t take greater than 4 and a half hours, which was not the case on Sunday at The ANNIKA. Korda’s group, which included Charley Hull and Weiwei Zhang, took greater than 5 hours to trudge round Pelican Golf Membership.
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“I personally assume it’s a fairly large concern. I feel it’s not good for the followers that come out and watch us,” Korda added.
“If it was me personally, I might be very, very aggravated anticipating 5 hours, over 5 hours, 5 hours and 40 minutes, shut to 6. I simply assume it actually drags the sport down.”
After this previous weekend, Hull, who tied for second and completed three strokes behind Korda, provided a “ruthless” answer to the tempo of play concern. She and Korda additionally accomplished their third rounds at the hours of darkness.
“I’m fairly ruthless,” Hull mentioned.
“Hear, should you get three dangerous timings, each time it’s a tee shot penalty; if in case you have three of them, you lose your Tour card immediately. I’m certain that might hurry lots of people up, they usually gained’t wish to lose their Tour card. That will kill the sluggish play, however they’d by no means do this.”
Maybe the LPGA ought to at the very least entertain Hull’s thought. Thompson mentioned she “didn’t disagree with it.” Korda referred to as it “humorous.”
However you already know what’s not humorous? When a participant stands within the fairway, ready to play their shot whereas a fellow competitor takes two or three minutes to line up a putt from inside 5 toes up on the inexperienced. It’s infuriating to everybody concerned.
“I’m hitting proper after the individual in entrance of me simply hit,” Korda mentioned.
“I feel individuals simply should be — individuals overanalyze, one, and I feel individuals simply should be prepared quicker. Folks begin their course of a little bit too late and stand over it for too lengthy. We’d like extra individuals on the bottom to observe the tempo of play. I don’t assume we’ve sufficient individuals to observe it.”
Maybe that’s the treatment the LPGA wants: extra officers on the bottom to implement the tempo of play. That will assist, at the very least in Korda’s thoughts.
Regardless, the LPGA can not proceed to do what it has carried out for fairly a while: sit idly by, simply as Korda did on the tee and within the fairway on so many events this previous week.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Remember to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
