Charley Hull Has ‘Ruthless’ Fix to LPGA’s Pace of Play Issue

Hull, one of the LPGA's faster players, did not mince words when asked how she would fix the LPGA's slow play problem.

Charley Hull tees off at the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship / Chris Tilley//Special to the Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK

The LPGA has an issue with its pace of play.

For example, Nelly Korda and Charley Hull took over five hours Sunday to finish their final round of the Annika with darkness looming at Pelican Golf Club.

Hull, one of the LPGA’s faster players, did not mince words when asked how she would fix the tour's slow play problem.

“I’m quite ruthless, but I said, ‘Listen, if you get three bad timings, every time it’s a tee shot penalty,'’” Hull said after her T2 finish. “If you have three of them, you lose your tour card instantly. I’m sure that would hurry a lot of people up and they won't want to lose their tour card.

“That would kill the slow play, but they would never do that.”

Some may say that Hull’s proposal is a bit excessive, but it's an important issue to her.

“It’s ridiculous and I feel sorry for the fans how slow it is out there,” the 28-year-old Englishwoman said. “We were out there for five hours and 40 minutes yesterday. We play in a four-ball at home on a hard golf course and we're round in three and a half, four hours. It is pretty crazy.”

The LPGA has tried to address this issue. Aside from handing out slow-play penalties, the tour last year slashed the 36-hole cut from the top 70 and ties to the top 65 and ties.

Hull, however, isn’t the only one who recognizes the pace of play problem in golf.

“Yeah, well, I hate slow play,” 72-time LPGA winner Annika Sorenstam said in 2023. “I think I’m a believer in ready golf. I really am. There are things you can do to prepare while somebody else is playing and to be ready when it’s your turn.”

It remains to be seen how the LPGA plans to tackle this matter.