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.com attempted to reach LPGA communication officials for information on the penalty, but a message has not been returned.
Those viewing the L.A. Championship on Golf Channel learned about the penalty as Im played the 17th hole during the third round. During the fourth round, the infraction was noted several times on the broadcast, including during the playoff, which Green won. Said Boone: “And you go back to yesterday, Jin Hee Im was penalized one stroke for slow play. And you got the butterfly effect in play here — you never know what would have happened had she been one stroke lower entering the day. That stroke certainly does loom large here.” Analyst Morgan Pressel then added: “It’s been impressive the way that she’s been able to bounce back after finding out yesterday about that penalty.”
Notably, the LPGA announced a new “pace of play policy” in February of 2025. Under the new guidelines, if a player exceeds a time allotment by 1-5 seconds, she will receive a fine. Should a player take 6-15 seconds over the allotment, she will be hit with a one-stroke penalty. Finally, if a player takes 16 or more seconds than they are allowed, a two-stroke penalty will be charged. (The LPGA’s complete policy can be found here.)
It was unclear how many slow-play penalties have been called since last February. Before the LPGA’s season-ending event last year, Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols reported that three players received one-stroke penalties, and two players received two-stroke penalties.
Im’s penalty was also discussed on Monday on Golf Channel (and you can watch the clip here). There, Boone said Im didn’t protest being penalized.
“At the end of the day, once Sunday got there,” he said, “it was over and it was on to golf.”
