A two-stroke shock has significantly shaken up the leaderboard at the Buick LPGA Shanghai: Carlota Ciganda incurred a time penalty in the third round, turning her potential par on the par-4 13th hole into a painful double bogey. The drama surrounding pace-of-play enforcement thus reaches a new high in elite golf and could fundamentally impact the title contention.
The crux? LPGA rules are unyielding here: exceeding the allowed time by 6–15 seconds incurs a one-stroke penalty, while 16 seconds or more results directly in two strokes. Ciganda was well over. Her response, however, was priceless: The 36-year-old Spaniard immediately countered with back-to-back birdies on holes 14 and 15 and still finished the round with a solid 1-under-par 71.
New Look at the Top
Despite the setback, Ciganda still stood at 4-under par after 54 holes, in a tie for fourth place. This puts her five shots behind leader Hye-Jin Choi, who currently tops the field. Choi has a one-stroke lead over Amy Yang, while China's Yin Ruoning is two strokes back with a flawless round of 67 and is also hot on the heels for the win. So, despite all the adversities, the race is far from over.
A Familiar Story
For Ciganda, the issue of pace-of-play violations is not new. At the 2023 Evian Championship, she made headlines when she refused to sign her scorecard after a time penalty and was subsequently disqualified. This demonstrates that the LPGA is serious about enforcement. Yealimi Noh also received a penalty in this round; she finished the day with a 76 and dropped to a tie for 31st place.
While the penalty hasn't completely buried Ciganda's title hopes, it forces her to deliver a truly spectacular round on Sunday. Making up five shots – that's a tall order, but as is well-known in golf, anything is possible, especially when the pressure is really on. We eagerly await how this drama unfolds!
