LPGA Hits Carlota Ciganda, Yealimi Noh With Slow-Play Penalties

By Staff Writer

October 18, 2026

2 min read

Carlota Ciganda, the player at the center of the slow-play penalty

Junta de Andalucía / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Key takeaways

Carlota Ciganda was given a two-stroke penalty for slow play on the par-4 13th during round three of the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
The penalty turned her par into a double bogey, but she answered with back-to-back birdies to shoot 1-under 71 and sit T4 entering the final round.
Yealimi Noh was also penalized for slow play in the same round at Sheshan Golf Club.
Under the LPGA's 2025 Pace of Play Policy, a first timing violation typically draws a warning, a second a one-stroke penalty, and further breaches additional strokes.

Carlota Ciganda was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play during Saturday's third round of the Buick LPGA Shanghai, turning what would have been a par on the 13th hole at Sheshan Golf Club into a double bogey. Yealimi Noh was also penalized for slow play in the same round, according to Sky Sports golf commentator Richard Kaufman.

How does the LPGA's pace-of-play policy work?

The LPGA updated its Pace of Play Policy in 2025. Officials generally warn a group that falls out of position first, giving players a hole to catch up before anyone is put on the clock. That warning can be skipped if a group is significantly behind, and officials may time groups without one during the final three holes. Officials can also time an individual player at any point if that player appears to be the reason a group is falling behind.

Once a player is on the clock, they typically have about 40 seconds to play a shot, with some additional time allowed in certain situations, and the policy lets players bank unused time across a round for later use. A first violation generally brings a warning, a second a one-stroke penalty, and additional breaches can add further penalty strokes, including the two-stroke penalty Ciganda incurred. The exact sequence of violations that led to her penalty has not been confirmed, and it is not the first time she has faced a pace-of-play penalty.

Despite the setback, Ciganda birdied the next two holes to post a 1-under 71 and sits tied for fourth heading into Sunday's final round.