Thoughts on slowplay? We’re sure they aren’t positive. To everyone’s surprise, the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour have very different approaches to resolving the issue. Let us ask you: How often do you see PGA Tour pros getting penalized for the slow pace of play? Not very often! They have been criticized for turning events into snoozefests, but the LPGA Tour does not find this acceptable.
In a surprising turn of events, nine players were recently penalized for breaking the pace of play policy. Aline Krauter was one of those who had a great chance of qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2025. However, she failed to do so as her group couldn’t keep up with the speed of the game. As GolfWeek reported, “When they got into scoring after the first round, Krauter said she wanted to appeal the penalty. She stated her case to the official in scoring and then again to a second official.” After being handed a one-stroke penalty that pushed her out of fourth place in the qualifiers, Krauter was determined to appeal her case as she didn’t break the rule herself.
Speaking about how the situation was handled, she said, “Again, same thing, I kind of gave him a rundown of how the round went and just the fact that I was never too slow and that I went first and played ready golf as much as I could and I explained to him that my role on the golf course is to make birdies, to play fast and to have good etiquette and nothing else. It is not my job to speed anyone up.” Despite stating her case to the officials, her plea was overlooked, and officials continued to enforce the penalty on her. Even when she inquired if such an appeal had ever yielded a successful result, “The guy from scoring looked at me and said, ‘Well, yes, this is the appeal, but it’s over now,’ and starts laughing.”
Her constant effort to abide by the rules and plead her case to the officials was completely ignored. The frustration seeped into her as she added, “At this point, I’m like, excuse me? This seems very careless, because I wasn’t slow, and this is my career, and this could potentially be life-changing. I’m here trying to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open, the most prestigious event of the year, and you’re treating it like it’s just any event. The guy basically forced me to add a stroke to my scorecard because he said if I want to continue playing, I’m on the tee in 20 minutes.” Krauter was forced to accept the penalty to avoid any further ramifications. Unfortunately, despite a series of birdies towards the end of the round, she didn’t make it to at least the fourth spot that would have booked her ticket to the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open.
In the absence of a full-time commissioner after Mollie Marcoux stepped down, it’s the players who have taken responsibility to ensure that slow play doesn’t become an issue. In fact, netizens had even called for the PGA Tour executives to take inspiration from the LPGA Tour and how it is managing the problem. Players like Charley Hull have even mentioned ruthless punishments like taking away the Tour card if the situation gets worse.
While her hard work didn’t pay off, does Aline Krauter still have a shot at qualifying for the major?
USGA & LPGA Tour serve justice for Aline Krauter
Yes, Aline Krauter did lose a shot at qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open on merit. She tied with Auston Kim in fourth at Grey Oaks, but that wasn’t enough to win her a place in the 156-player field for the major event. But her dream of making the prestigious tournament at Erin Hills Golf Course is not completely over. Her appeals may not have swayed the decision in her favor on the course, but the German national still managed to appeal to the USGA headquarters. While the top four from the qualifiers did make the list, Krauter received confirmation that she has also been granted a place in the field of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. This happened 12 hours after the conclusion of the qualification event in Naples, Florida.
However, the 25-year-old is still determined to appeal her case for unfair treatment. Speaking about the pace of play issue, Aline Krauter clearly mentioned, “I‘m all for fast play, but not this way,” as she believes a clear line of regulations needs to be placed to tackle such situations.
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