Current world number one Nelly Korda is one of the faster players on the female circuit and has thrown her support behind slow-play penalties being issued for players who are guilty of holding up proceedings.
Carlotta Ciganda recently made headlines for refusing to alter her card to take a two-stroke penalty into account after taking too long on a shot having already been put on the clock at the Evian Championship. As a result, she was disqualified and the tournament organisers received widespread praise for refusing to bow to player pressure and for enforcing the rules of play.
“Yeah, I think at the end of the day, The Rules of Golf are The Rules of Golf,” Korda told the media ahead of the AIG Women’s British Open at Walton Heath, “and they should be enforced. I really like Carlotta. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her. I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day The Rules of Golf are The Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.”
“Slow play? I think it should be monitored,” she added. “I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for 5 1/2 hours to 6 hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling. I would say I think it’s really important for the rules officials to enforce The Rules of Golf.”
Besides the obvious issue surrounding the length of time it takes to play a round and the knock-on effect to TV coverage and spectator experience, slower players can also have a negative effect on their playing partners who’d prefer to move at a quicker pace.
“I would say that sometimes it does throw off your rhythm as a golfer to play with someone that’s a little slower,” Korda explained. “But you just kind of have to adapt and play your best with the situation at hand. My caddie and I do a really good job with it, and I haven’t run into any real issues.
“I just kind of slow down, as well. I walk a little slower and I just try to adapt to the pace of my group.”
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