Spain’s Carlota Ciganda is no stranger to slow-play penalties. But she might not have thought another one would follow her all the way to Shanghai this week. The LET’s Order of Merit winner teed off for the third round at Sheshan Golf Club on Saturday, and she soon found herself in the crosshairs of LPGA officials, who slapped her with a slow-play penalty. 

The incident was first reported by Sky Sports golf commentator Richard Kaufman on X, who revealed that Ciganda had been assessed a two-stroke penalty for violating the LPGA’s pace-of-play policy. The incident occurred on the par-4 13th hole during the tournament’s third round. Kaufman also added that 25-year-old Yealimi Noh was penalized for slow play on Saturday. 

For Ciganda, who initially scored a par on the 13th hole, the two-stroke penalty meant that her score was changed to a double bogey. However, she managed to quickly recover from the setback by making back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes. Despite the costly penalty, Ciganda finished the third round with a 1-under 71 before heading into Sunday’s final round.

The European Solheim Cup star is currently in a two-way tie for fourth place, five shots behind tournament leader Choi Hye-jin. Meanwhile, although it remains unclear on which hole Noh received her two-stroke penalty, the South Korean did not have the best outing during the third round. She recorded four bogeys on the front nine before adding another bogey and a double bogey on the back nine. 

Despite managing to card three birdies along the way, the 25-year-old finished the round with a disappointing 4-over-par 76. Noh currently sits in a tie for 31st place alongside three other players, leaving her with little chance of climbing to the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round. 

Regardless, it is worth noting that the LPGA Tour significantly tightened its pace-of-play regulations in 2025, allowing players just 40 seconds to execute a shot once it is their turn to play. The severity of the punishment depends on how much a player exceeds the allotted time. Players who go over the limit by one to five seconds face a fine, while those who take an additional six to 15 seconds are handed a one-stroke penalty. 

Anyone exceeding the permitted time by 16 seconds or more faces a two-stroke penalty. Despite the LPGA’s increasingly strict approach to slow play, this is not the first time either player has received such a penalty while competing in a tournament.

During the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship, Ciganda was disqualified after refusing to add a two-stroke penalty to her scorecard. The penalty would have changed her 72 into a 74, leaving her outside the cut. In 2026, during the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, Ciganda again attracted criticism for slow play while partnering Spanish rookie Julia López Ramírez against Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin. 

However, officials confirmed no penalty was applied because the group was not out of position. Meanwhile, Yealimi Noh’s slow-play issues date back to her LPGA debut in 2020, when she received her first pace-of-play fine at the Gainbridge LPGA. The following year, she was penalised again during the third round of the Kia Classic after officials recorded two bad times on holes 10 and 12. 

As a repeat offender, her fine was doubled to $10,000. Noh finished tied for 61st, earning just $4,247 that week. Although she initially accepted responsibility, she later expressed frustration over the hefty fine and feeling that officials were scrutinising her more closely. That said, both players will have to watch out for slow play when they tee it up for the final round on Sunday.