"I'm a big fan" - Nelly Korda backs updates to LPGA Tour's pace-of-play policy

World number one Nelly Korda has welcomed plans for the LPGA Tour to introduce even tougher penalties for slow play from the 2027 season.

The changes, first reported by Golfweek, include increased fines, additional penalty strokes and a reduced time allowance for players.

They come after figures showed that pace of play had actually failed to improve despite stricter measures being introduced ahead of the 2025 season.

Median round times for three-player groups remained unchanged across nine tournaments between 2025 and 2026, while two-player groups became seven minutes slower, increasing from three hours and 55 minutes to four hours and two minutes.

The number of holes timed across 15 events also increased by 12%, while the number of penalty strokes rose from seven to nine.

"The data told us we were heading in the wrong direction," LPGA player president Vicki Goetz-Ackerman wrote in a memo to players and caddies.

Under the new policy, players will no longer receive warnings for being between one and five seconds over their allotted time, with fines starting at $2,000 for a first offence, rising to $4,000 for a second and $8,000 for a third.

Those exceeding their allowance by six to 15 seconds will receive a one-shot penalty as well as a fine, while players more than 16 seconds over will face a two-shot penalty and a financial sanction.

The Tour is also targeting repeat offenders, with players accumulating 35 timed holes during a season facing a $35,000 fine. 

Additional charges will increase depending on the number of further timed holes.

The permitted time for an excessive shot will also be reduced from 70 seconds to 60.

"I'm a big fan," said Korda.

"No one wants to be out here for five-plus hours. No player wants to. Nobody wants to watch it. I think we're just moving in the right direction."

The announcement is also likely to be welcomed by Korda's rival Charley Hull. 

Hull has consistently criticised slow players and even previously called for even harsher punishments, suggesting players should face suspensions. 

"I think you should get banned from the tour for a year or a three-month ban to start off with," she previously Golfweek.

"If the punishment is strict enough, you're not gonna play slower. 

"You would make sure you'd play a lot quicker than we do."

Slow play has long been an issue on the LPGA Tour, reaching a peak at The Annika in 2024 when Saturday's play finished almost an hour beyond the television broadcast window.

The Tour subsequently reduced the tournament's field from 120 players to 108.

Alongside the new penalties, the LPGA will introduce educational seminars and individual training sessions in 2027. 

Players who were timed on at least 25 holes during the 2026 season will be required to attend a pace-of-play meeting.

Goetz-Ackerman said the changes were designed to improve behaviour and address what remains the biggest complaint from fans: slow play.