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Nelly Korda remains repulsed by slow play. And has advice to manage it

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Nelly Korda says slow play is just, well, slow. It makes golf longer.

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And she says you never get into a flow because of it.

And that your body gets stiff because of it.

Then there are those outside of the ropes who watch slow play unfolding.

“For spectators,” Korda said Wednesday, “it’s no fun to stand around and watch us and see us sit near our tee box or golf ball and not do anything and baking in the sun or whatever weather we are playing in.”

So yes, the world’s top-ranked player remains repulsed by slow play, as evidenced by her answers to questions on the subject ahead of this week’s Amundi Evian Championship. Over the past few years, Korda’s been one of the more vocal critics of the act, and she plays as she preaches too, working as one of the game’s more rapid pros — but she’s also not naive.

Players will seemingly continue to take their time over shots. Maybe a penalty situation will pop up. Whatever the case may be, slow play will live on, and Korda was asked how she keeps her focus, considering tilting could be an understandable option.

Her answer was blunt.

“At the end of the day,” Korda said, “you know you’re playing a round and you’re playing for — no matter what day it is, you’re playing for a championship, so you have to stay focused.

“I think the longer the rounds are, the more mentally draining sometimes they get. At the end of the day, I mean, you just have to kind of suck it up, build a bridge to get over it, and adjust to the circumstances at hand.”

Her solution to curb it, though, is penalty strokes, and this year, the LPGA has seemingly listened. In February, the tour announced that players exceeding 40 seconds to hit would be disciplined — under the new guidelines, if a player exceeds the time by 1-5 seconds, she will receive a fine; should a player take 6-15 seconds over the time to play a shot, she will be hit with a one-stroke penalty; and if a player takes 16 or more seconds than they are allowed, a two-stroke penalty will be charged.

“I think that’s improved on our tour a tremendous amount,” Korda said at the Evian, the year’s fourth of five women’s majors. “At the end of the day, I think that if you start giving penalties to girls taking too long, then they’re not going to want to get penalised a shot or two. That can make a really big difference in whatever they want, prize money, cut, whatever.

“So they’re going to speed up at the end of the day. So the harsher the circumstances, the more they’re going to change.”

Faster play would benefit families, too, she said.

“It’s not fun for the little kids,” Korda said. “Their patience isn’t as good as an adult’s.

“I feel like the more flow and action, the better it is for the crowd. When there is so much stalling and no movement in what we’re doing, that’s kind of no fun, right?”

Notably, the subject of slow play has cropped up at the Evian previously, after Carlota Ciganda appealed a two-stroke penalty for exceeding an allotted time, then, after her appeal was denied, she refused to take the strokes, leading to her disqualification. How this week’s Evian plays out under the new rules, then, promises to be monitored.

Still, Korda is sympathetic to one group that’s known to slow play.

Amateurs.

She said she doesn’t mind lengthy pro-ams.

“My first ever sponsor that I ever got as professional was through a pro-am,” Korda said, “and I met so many incredible people through pro-ams.

“Getting in contact and getting to know these amazing individuals that at the end of the day are coming out and supporting us is a lot of fun for me.”

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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