‘I Feel Sorry For The Fans' - Charley Hull Proposes Brutal Idea To 'Kill' Slow Play

One of the biggest headaches for golf at every level is how to cure the issue of slow play.

Depending on the golf course and a number of other factors, the time in which it takes to complete a round varies, but the general consensus is that it should take no more than 4.5 hours.

For amateurs, if the pace of play is not quick enough for their liking, they can simply call a round early and then complain back at the clubhouse before trying again the next day or the following weekend.

Yet, it is not quite that simple for pros, where a withdrawal results in loss of earnings and a lack of crucial points.

At the top level, players can be put on the clock or even fined if their indiscretions cross the line. Yet, according to many, that deterrent is not strong enough.

Step forward Charley Hull, who has an even more brutal idea than fining players five-figure sums if they don't keep up with the requisite pace.

Speaking after a T2nd finish at The Annika on Sunday, Hull said: "I’m quite ruthless, but I said, listen, if you get three bad timings, every time it’s a two-shot penalty. If you have three of them, you lose your Tour card instantly, go back to Q-School.

"I’m sure that would hurry a lot of people up and they won’t want to lose their Tour card. That would kill the slow play, but they would never do that."

It should be pointed out that neither Hull or her playing partners on Sunday - eventual champion Nelly Korda and Weiwei Zhang - were anything like the root cause of the issue as the final group to go out.

But, for the LPGA Tour - who have made an attempt to curb slow play through fines and putting golfers on the clock this term - five-hour-plus rounds have become a real issue that is proving almost impossible to combat.

Not that the matter is exclusive to women's golf, mind, with several circuits on the men's side also suffering.

A day after competing in a near-six-hour round at The Annika, Hull - who is known for her efficient style of play - called the current state of the problem "ridiculous."

She said: "It’s ridiculous and I feel sorry for the fans how slow it is out there.

"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."

Luckily for Korda at least, a slow round on Saturday did not end up costing her a seventh LPGA Tour title of the year the following day.

The World No.1 had suggested poor planning was perhaps to blame for finishing after sunset at Pelican Golf Club on Saturday, but the American did not let it affect her during round four - going on to overturn Hull's one-stroke overnight advantage and triumph by three.

The LPGA Tour will now head to the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club for the final week of the 2024 season.