Celine Boutier won the ShopRite LPGA on Sunday, although it might be Arpichaya Yubol who was left wondering what could have been.
Yubol fired a five-under 66 on the Bay Course at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J., on Sunday, which was good enough to push her into solo second and earn $183,814 in the 54-hole event. At eight under, she finished a stroke behind Boutier.
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But then you remember what happened on Saturday.
The LPGA Media account tweeted Saturday evening that Yubol was assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play during her second round on Saturday. The tweet said she was penalized for “exceeding her maximum time allowed for her total strokes timed on hole #13.”
It’s just the second time a pace of play penalty has been issued on the LPGA this season. Jin Hee Im was also penalized one shot during the third round of the JM Eagle.
In February 2025, the LPGA announced its new pace of play policy that went into effect that spring. The LPGA already had a warning system and timing guidelines in place for players out of position, but the updated policy included a new penalty structure for plus times. Under those changes, one to five seconds over a time would be a fine; six to 15 seconds would be a one-stroke penalty, and 16 seconds or more would lead to a two-stroke penalty.
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Yubol’s 73 Saturday was changed to a 74. Under the LPGA’s policy, a player is timed for the accumulation of shots for a hole and not one specific shot.
Despite the rare penalty, it was a good week for the 24-year-old Yubol. After missing the cut in back-to-back starts earlier this season, she has now turned in her second runner-up finish of the year. Although she still finished one shy of Boutier, who closed with a 66 to come from four strokes back to win. The 32-year-old pro also won the ShopRite in 2021; this was her first win since the Maybank Championship in 2023.
Next up? The U.S. Women’s Open begins Thursday at Riviera in Los Angeles.
“It’s definitely always good to come back after a win,” Boutier said. “I think it’s going to be a very different challenge for sure with different course conditions, but I’m excited to see what the course is going to be like. Happy where my game is at, so let’s see what I can do there.”
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