‘It’s tough to watch’: Why Nelly Korda’s backing slow play punishments
The World No. 1 believes the rules should be enforced on slow play – following Carlota Ciganda’s controversial expulsion at the Evian Championship
Rules are rules. That’s what World No. 1 Nelly Korda thinks about curbing slow play on tour – after admitting long rounds were “tough to watch”.
Carlota Ciganda was disqualified after refusing to accept a slow play penalty at the Evian Championship and Korda, renowned as a quick operator, was quizzed about it – and pace of play in general – ahead of her first round at the AIG Women’s Open.
“I think it should be monitored,” she said at Walton Heath. “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.”
Ciganda was handed a two-shot penalty after being found to have breached the LPGA Tour’s Pace of Play policy on the final hole of her second round.
She opted not to add the penalty to her scorecard and, after being told that leaving the scoring area with a lower signed score would lead to a DQ, was kicked out of the tournament.
It caused plenty of controversy but Korda said she wants the penalties to keep on coming.
“Yeah, I think at the end of the day, The Rules of Golf are The Rules of Golf and they should be enforced,” the American explained.
“I really like Carlota. 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.”
NOW READ: ‘I almost broke my wrist’ – Nelly Korda tussles with Walton Heath’s heather
Do you agree with Nelly Korda about slow play? What are your thoughts on the issue? Let us know with a Tweet!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
