The R&A has made its position clear on its on-course behavior expectations. After a summer of on-course misconduct incidents, golf’s governing bodies are now applying the same strict code of conduct for women’s tour pros. The new rules and code of conduct will be applied to Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s, putting Nelly Korda & Co. under stricter conditions this week.

As reported by National Club Golfer, the R&A is enforcing its player code of conduct at the AIG Women’s Open for the first time. Notably, the policy had already been in place at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as a precautionary measure. The Chevron Championship and Amundi Evian Championship continue to operate under the LPGA and Ladies European Tour’s existing fine systems.

Under the local rules published for this week’s championship, a player or caddie whose conduct falls far enough outside the spirit of the game can be handed an official warning, a two-stroke penalty, or disqualification, depending on the circumstances and the severity. The rules are the same as the ones applied at The Open. In accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Chief Champions’ Official, may issue official warnings, according to severity and the impact of misconduct.

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This move comes after several high-profile misconduct incidents across the men’s game this season, with golf’s governing bodies taking an increasingly firm stance on player behaviour.

LIV player Sergio Garcia was called out by the officials at the Masters after smashing his driver into the turf and slamming it against a course cooler on the second hole. Notably, Robert MacIntyre was also warned at the Masters for his misbehavior. At the Open Championship, Jon Rahm was seen throwing a club, but he was left off with a warning. Together with Joaquin Niemann’s two-stroke penalty at the U.S. Open, those incidents came as golf’s governing bodies adopted a firmer approach toward on-course misconduct.

All in all, golf’s governing bodies appear to have decided that a warning system is not alone enough, and they’re extending that to the women’s game to close an obvious gap. Although cases of misconduct are thin in the women’s game, it would be an exaggeration to say there are none.

At the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship, Carlota Ciganda was disqualified after picking up a two-stroke slow play penalty on her final hole of round two. She had appealed, lost her case, but refused to add the penalty to her scorecard before leaving the recording area. It triggered an automatic disqualification under misconduct, but she later called it an unfair decision.

R&A chief executive Mark Darbon addressed the balance the sport is trying to strike earlier this year. “I think first and foremost you want passion. You want passion from players, you want passion from spectators, but there’s a fine line. And one of the amazing things about the sport is the values and integrity that underpin it.”

With that, Nelly Korda, Haeran Ryu, Jeeno Thitikul, Myu Yamashita, and the rest of the 144-player field are now under even stricter conditions at the links golf course.