The LPGAslapped Carlota Ciganda and Yealimi Noh with two-stroke penalties for slow play over the weekend at the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
Ciganda was actually within striking distance at the time, as first noted by Richard Kaufman of Sky Sports. The Spaniard, who is notoriously deliberate, finished the day five back of third-round leader Hye-Jin Choi. She ultimately placed fifth in the first of four LPGA events in Asia, five strokes behind winner Ruoning Yin of China.
Carlota Ciganda and Yealimi Noh each received a two-stroke penalty during their respective third rounds at the Buick LPGA Shanghai for exceeding their allotted time, violating the LPGA Tour’s Pace of Play Policy.
— LPGA Media (@LPGAMedia) October 18, 2026
The LPGA introduced a stricter pace-of-play policy in 2025 that gives a fine
for those who are 1-5 seconds over; a one-stroke penalty for those 6-15 seconds over; and a two-stroke penalty for more than 16 seconds.
Ciganda has incurred costly fines before.
In 2021 at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play event, the 36-year-old European Solheim Cup star was all square coming into the 18th against Sarah Schmelzel. Ciganda won the hole but lost the match due to a slow-play penalty that resulted in loss of hole. Schmelzel won, 1 up.
At the 2023 Amundi Evian, she was disqualified after refusing to accept a two-stroke penalty that occurred on the ninth hole (her final of the day).
Then, two years ago at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, Ciganda entered the week with a berth into the CME Group Tour Championship on the line. With a $4 million winner’s check up for grabs at the CME, the $4,000 fine she incurred for slow play was actually probably worth it as she nabbed the 60th and final spot in the field.
“I know I have to improve, and I’ll try to do that next year,” Ciganda told Goflweek that week about her pace of play.
“I don’t think people understand how tough golf can be … mentally it’s a lot tougher than what people think. Golfers just drink some beers and play some golf, and we do this for a living. A lot goes through in your mind.”
As for California's Noh, five years ago at the Kia Classic, she got hit with a $10,000 fine at the Kia Classic. Noh received her first pace-of-play fine in her first event as a rookie in 2020, the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, where she tied for 35th. Because she'd received a pace-of-play fine in 2020 as a rookie, the fine doubled the next year.
At the Buick Shanghai last week, Noh shot 76 with the two-stroke penalty and ultimately tied for 32nd.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Two LPGA players slapped with two-stroke penalties for slow play in China
