Report: Solheim Cup star given slow play penalty during LPGA Tour event

European Solheim Cup star Carlota Ciganda was assessed a two-shot penalty for playing too slowly during the third round of the Buick LPGA Shanghai, according to a report.

Per Sky Sports Golf commentator Richard Kaufman, the Spaniard was told she had received the penalty on the 13th hole at Sheshan International Golf Club.

Ciganda made a par on the hole, but her score was later changed to a double bogey six.

The 36-year-old responded with birdies at her next two holes and ultimately signed for a 1-under 71, leaving her 4-under overall for the tournament and five shots behind leader Hye-Jin Choi with 18 holes remaining.

According to Kaufman, Ciganda wasn't the only player penalised for slow play on day three, with American Yealimi Noh also handed a penalty.

The LPGA Tour introduced a significantly stricter pace-of-play policy in 2025, allowing players 40 seconds to play each shot once it is their turn.

Players who exceed the limit by one to five seconds face fines, while those who take six to 15 seconds over are penalised one shot. 

A two-shot penalty applies to players who exceed the allowance by 16 seconds or more.

Ciganda is no stranger to criticism over her pace of play, having been penalised on several occasions throughout her career.

The biggest controversy came at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship, where she received a two-stroke penalty during the second round after tournament officials deemed she had taken too long over her final putt of the day.

After appealing unsuccessfully, Ciganda failed to include the penalty in her returned score and was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Ciganda hit back at the decision, saying she did not believe she had taken 52 seconds to play her putt.

"I had family and friends watching and they all said it was impossible I took that long," she said in a statement.

The issue resurfaced at the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, where world number one Nelly Korda reportedly challenged officials over Ciganda's pace of play during a lengthy fourballs match on the opening day of the contest.

Ciganda, playing alongside rookie Julia López Ramírez against Korda and Lauren Coughlin, drew criticism for the time taken over her approach shot to the 18th green, with reports suggesting she spent around three minutes assessing the shot.

Anna Nordqvist's Europe completed a 15-13 Solheim Cup victory over the United States. 

Ciganda played in three matches and contributed 1.5 points, including a crucial 4&2 victory over Jennifer Kupcho in the singles.