Did slow-play rules penalty end up costing LPGA pro a victory?
Did a slow-play rules penalty end up costing LPGA pro Jin Hee Im a victory at the JM Eagle L.A.
Jin Hee Im on Saturday on the 16th hole at El Caballero Country Club. Getty Images Jin Hee Im hustled, jogging off the green on Saturday on El Caballero Country Club’s eighth hole following a birdie. “Off she goes to the ninth with a hop, skip and a jump,” announcer Grant Boone said on Golf Channel’s broadcast.
The question is, though: What would have happened had Im played faster throughout the third round of the LPGA’s JM Eagle L. A. Championship?
Would she have won? No one will ever know, of course — but the leaderboard would suggest so. On the 13th hole of Saturday’s third round, Im was hit with a one-stroke penalty for slow play, and a day later, Im, Hannah Green and Sei Young Kim needed a playoff to determine a winner after all three finished tied after regulation.
For any of the three players, one stroke would have made the difference — including the one Im was assessed for slow play. After Sunday’s final round, Im talked with reporters, but was not asked about the penalty. GOLF.