Charley Hull Suggests Revoking Tour Cards To End Slow Play After Six Hour Round
Slow play in golf has become a significant issue, particularly at the professional level, with rounds often exceeding 5 hours. World No.11 Charley Hull has proposed a radical solution to address this problem.
Following her third round at The Annika taking nearly six hours, Hull suggested that players should receive a two-shot penalty after three bad timings, and subsequently lose their Tour card and return to Q-School if the infractions continue.
Woman wearing wide-brimmed straw hat
"I feel sorry for the fans how slow it is out there," Hull stated. "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."
Woman swings golf club on course
Current measures to combat slow play include fines and putting players on the clock, but these deterrents have proven ineffective. The issue affects both women's and men's tours, with the LPGA Tour particularly struggling to maintain reasonable round times.
The problem was highlighted during The Annika tournament, where even the final group, including eventual champion Nelly Korda and Hull, experienced significant delays despite not being the source of slow play.
While Hull's proposed solution may seem extreme, it reflects growing frustration with pace-of-play issues in professional golf. The LPGA Tour continues to seek effective solutions to improve round times and enhance the viewing experience for fans.
The season concludes at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club, where the focus will likely remain on both competition and pace of play.