Carlota Ciganda’s two-stroke penalty in Shanghai last month showed how thin the margin for error has become on the LPGA Tour. Now the tour is tightening it again, and this time the paychecks are on the line along with the scorecards.
Speaking to Golf Digest, an LPGA spokesperson explained the thinking behind the 2027 changes in a statement.
“Pace of play matters to our players, our fans, and our partners, and we are committed to reviewing our policy every year to make sure it’s working. After a close look at this season’s data and conversations with our players, we’re strengthening the policy for 2027 with tighter time limits and stronger, earlier consequences for players who exceed them. Going forward, we’ll keep measuring, keep listening to our players, and keep adjusting as we work to further improve pace of play.”
The update was announced by the Pace of Play Committee on Tuesday at The Annika in Belleair, Florida. According to Golf Digest, the tour’s data showed that pace of play did not improve in 2026, even as the number of timed holes rose 12 percent. That was enough to convince the committee that the existing consequences were not working.
The 2027 version introduces fines if the rules are taken lightly. Under the new policy, a one- to five-second overage in play, which was previously called a warning, will now bring a fine. Additionally, a six- to 15-second overage keeps its one-stroke penalty and adds a fine. Going 16 seconds or more over still costs two strokes, and a fine is now added to that.
Two thresholds are also being lowered. A player who reaches 35 timed holes will be fined, down from 40 this year. The limit for a single shot drops from 70 seconds to 60. Seminars for players and caddies will be held in January, with rules officials on hand to explain the changes.
Notably, this is the second overhaul in two years. The first came when the LPGA introduced its current policy in February 2025 after what player president Vicki Goetze-Ackerman called “a source of frustration for players and fans alike.” The tour said at the time that the revised thresholds would have produced 23 one-stroke and eight two-stroke penalties in 2024. The aim was to make players treat warnings seriously before strokes came into play.
And the numbers have backed up the tour’s concern too. Golf Digest notes there were three one-stroke and two two-stroke slow-play penalties in 2025. With two events left in 2026, the count already stands at five one-stroke and two two-stroke penalties. Several of them have changed results.
Jin Hee Im, for instance, was docked a shot in round three of the JM Eagle LA Championship, then lost a playoff to Hannah Green. Arpichaya Yubol was penalized on the 13th hole of her second round at the ShopRite LPGA and finished one stroke behind Celine Boutier.
Ciganda’s penalty in China came while she was in contention. It was not her first brush with the rules either. She was disqualified from the 2023 Evian Championship after refusing to accept a two-stroke slow-play penalty.
The men’s tours are still working on the same problem. The Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas already hand out a one-stroke penalty for a first “bad time” as part of a trial that could shape a wider PGA Tour policy. Front Office Sports reports that the PGA Tour’s focus is shifting toward individual shot times.
For now, the LPGA has opted to make slow play more costly rather than rely on warnings, and 2027 will show whether the added fines change habits. If the numbers stay where they are, the tour has already said it will keep adjusting.