Pro Loses Tournament By One Stroke After Slow Play Penalty

Celine Boutier won her seventh LPGA Tour title at the LPGA ShopRite, where she finished one stroke clear of Arpichaya Yubol in New Jersey.

Boutier closed with a five-under-par 66 for a score of nine-under-par, with Yubol likely ruing a slow play penalty on Saturday that ultimately cost her the chance of making it into a playoff for her first LPGA Tour title.

The Thai player was given a one-stroke penalty for 'exceeding her maximum time allowed for her total strokes timed' on the 13th hole of Saturday's second day.

According to LPGA Tour policy, a group that is deemed to be out of position is warned and then timed, with penalties handed out for breaches.

Taking 1-5 seconds over time results in a fine, with 6-15 seconds punished with a one-stroke penalty. Players who take more than 15 seconds over their allotted time are given two-stroke penalties.

Yubol's par on the par 4 13th was increased to a bogey five, which meant she signed for a three-over-par 74.

She is the second player to lose out by a single stroke after receiving a slow play penalty this season, following Jin Hee Im's playoff loss at the JM Eagle LA Championship. Hannah Green defeated Im and Sei-young Kim in a playoff.

Gregorio de Leo received a one-stroke penalty for slow play on the DP World Tour recently while in contention at the Turkish Airlines Open, while Hunter Wolcott was docked a stroke while leading on the PGA Tour Americas last year.

Yubol wasn't specifically asked about the penalty but she did say she was happy following her second runner-up finish of the season.

"I do my best on my way as I can. And it's golf. Everything happen is happen. But I'm really happy, yeah," she said.

"So I see myself on the first year until now, my fourth year, everything kind of close, too close, really close like to get the first win.

"So for me just keep believe in myself, in process, and then just keep practice, keep playing, and enjoy what I am now. And then you know, golf like this week, next week, even like next year, even thing like can happen. It's change all the time.

"The one thing, maybe two thing for me, so one like I have to trust myself and have to enjoy on my game."

The 24-year-old joined the LPGA Tour in 2024. She currently ranks 146th in the world and has a best Major finish of 5th at the 2024 US Women's Open.