The best way to cease gradual play: Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson again Charley Hull’s ‘ruthless’ method to deal with ‘large situation’ on LPGA Tour

Lexi Thompson and world No 1 Nelly Korda have each backed Charley Hull’s ‘ruthless’ calls to impose harsher penalties for gradual play and deal with a ‘big issue’ on the LPGA Tour.

Hull was left pissed off after her third spherical on the ANNIKA on Saturday took almost 5 hours and 40 minutes as a three-ball, leaving her, Korda and Alexa Pano ending in close to darkness.

The Englishwoman described taking as long as ‘ridiculous’ and believes extra must be executed to punish gradual gamers, with Hull suggesting one excessive change to the foundations to encourage a faster tempo of play.

Talking after her closing spherical on Sunday, the place she completed tied-second as Korda claimed a seventh win of the season, Hull stated: “I’m quite ruthless, but I said, ‘listen, if you get three bad timings, every time it’s a two-shot penalty.

“If in case you have three of them [penalties], you lose your [LPGA] Tour card immediately. I am certain that might hurry lots of people up and so they will not wish to lose their Tour card. That will kill the gradual play, however they’d by no means do this.”

Hull’s feedback have been referenced closely in press conferences forward of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, with Korda agreeing along with her ‘humorous’ suggestion and calling for extra to be executed.

“I personally think it’s a pretty big issue,” Korda stated. “I believe it is not good for the followers that come out and watch us. If it was me personally, I’d be very, very aggravated expecting 5 hours and 40 minutes, shut to 6. I simply suppose it actually drags the sport down. I believe that it actually, actually wants to vary.

“Players just need to be penalised. Rules officials need to watch from the first group. Once they get two minutes behind, one minute behind, it just slows everything down. To be standing over a putt for two to three minutes, that’s ridiculous.

“I believe folks simply have to be prepared sooner. Folks begin their course of a bit of too late and so they stand over it too lengthy. Once more, I believe we want extra folks on the bottom to watch tempo of play. I do not suppose now we have sufficient folks to watch it.”

Thompson believes Hull’s suggestion was a ‘bit of an aggressive comment’ but agreed more need to be done to tackle a slow play issue that she felt has ‘gotten worse’.

“I don’t disagree with it [Hull]’s comments,” Thompson stated. “It has to be done. Something has to be done to quicken up the play out there, whether it’s fines or whatever it is. Needs to be done because we need to play quicker.

“Rounds should not be taking greater than 4 and a half hours, particularly in threesomes. 4 and a half needs to be the max. It is undoubtedly an issue out right here proper now. So I do not know what we’ll do to attempt to get it resolved however hopefully simply play faster.”

The LPGA Tour does issue fines and penalties for the slow play and AIG Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko said: “I do not know if that is extra of a problem on our Tour versus different excursions. I imagine that the foundations officers and all people that units these tips are doing their greatest to make it honest for everybody.

“Even if you’re the biggest golfing fan, nobody wants to be out there for as long as possible. I think the slow play topic is talked about on every tour. I’m sure everybody, whether it’s the players, people setting these rules, are doing their best to get us in there and get us out of there as quick as possible.

“I do not suppose there’s a single individual out right here that could be a attempting to defy that.”

Watch the CME Group Tour Championship live throughout the week on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 7pm on Sky Sports+ and 8pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the LPGA Tour and extra with NOW.