WOMEN’S GOLF / DINAH SHORE TOURNAMENT : Lopez Slowed by Two-Stroke Penalty

The slow-play penalty caught one of the game’s most renowned players Friday in the second round of the Nabisco Dinah Shore golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club.

Nancy Lopez, a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame and a co-leader after the first round, was penalized two strokes on the 15th hole.

Lopez, starting at No. 10, had a four-over-par 40 on her front nine and wound up with a six-over 78.

Amy Alcott, who has won this tournament three times, was also assessed a slow-play penalty later on the same hole. She shot a 74.

Lopez plunged down the leader board as four golfers--Pat Bradley, Marta Figueras-Dotti, Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson and Dawn Coe-Jones shared the second-round lead with a 36-hole score of 140, four under par. Lopez and Alcott were at 146.

Lopez said she did not know that she was being timed.

“I know some of the players don’t want to be told (about slow play), but I think it’s important that you’re told,” Lopez said.

Slow play is common in golf, and the pro tours are tightening their rules in regard to the matter.

Barb Trammell, an LPGA official, said that Lopez’s cumulative time on the par-four 15th hole was excessive.

“Our regulations allow players an average of 30 seconds per shot,” Trammell said, “and we give them an extra 25 seconds (for the entire hole) as a cushion.”

Lopez’s drive on the hole found the rough, and Trammell said she was given an additional 20 seconds because of her predicament.

Lopez was timed in 1 minute 26 seconds on her second shot and was 71 seconds over the 30-second average for the hole.

Her bogey became a triple-bogey because of the penalty.

“I just double-bogeyed the hole before, and I was trying to get myself together,” Lopez said. “When I hit my tee shot where I did, I took whatever time it took to take the next shot and never thought about it.”

Lopez wasn’t informed of her penalty until she reached the 16th hole.

“My reaction was, ‘I am? I did? I didn’t know you (officials) were there,’ ” Lopez said.

The Players Executive Council has determined that players don’t want to be disturbed during their round, and do not want to be warned.

Lopez said she couldn’t see any official in the gallery because of the crowd following her. She added that if she had known she was being timed she wouldn’t have been penalized.

“I think (officials) should let you know you’re being timed,” she said, adding that two shots could make the difference for making the cut, or winning the tournament.

When Lopez finished her round she was trying to fight back tears. She didn’t meet with the media until a few hours later.

“I was trying hard not to get upset,” Lopez said, “so I went to the range so no one could get to me.”

Lopez said she doesn’t consider herself a slow player.

“I’ve witnessed the same situation and a two-shot penalty wasn’t assessed, and that aggravates me,” she said. “The rule should be the same for everybody.”

Golf Notes

Nancy Lopez was penalized for slow play at the LPGA Championship in Cincinnati in 1986 but still shot a 65 that day and went on to win. . . . Pat Bradley, a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, said she was quite pleased with her round of 69. “I’m enjoying my new-found freedom of not having to deal with, or worry about, the Hall of Fame,” Bradley said. “Now it’s time to dig in and get back in the swing again.” Bradley hasn’t won since she got her 30th victory in 1991 to qualify for the Hall of Fame. . . . Regarding the two-stroke penalty assessed against Lopez, Bradley said: “We have rules. We live by them and sometimes they’re painful. It’s part of sporting life. Nancy has been through this before. I’m sure she can get through this now.”

Leaders

Player Score Dawn Coe-Jones 72-68-140 Pat Bradley 71-69-140 Helen Alfredsson 69-71-140 Marta Figueras-Dotti 68-72-140 Anne-Marie Palli 70-71-141 Pamela Wright 74-68-142 Trish Johnson 74-68-142 Sally Little 72-70-142 Joan Pitcock 70-72-142 Missie Berteotti 68-74-142 Patty Sheehan 73-70-143 Jane Crafter 71-72-143 Allison Finney 70-73-143 Sharon Barrett 70-73-143 Alice Miller 73-71-144 Laura Davies 72-72-144 Debbie Massey 70-74-144 Danielle Ammaccapane 69-75-144 Cindy Schreyer 75-70-145 Deb Richard 74-71-145 Sherri Turner 73-72-145 Jan Stephenson 73-72-145 Nancy Scranton 73-72-145 Maggie Will 72-73-145 Kathy Postlewait 72-73-145 Tammie Green 72-73-145 Michelle Estill 72-73-145 Amy Benz 72-73-145 Colleen Walker 71-74-145 Betsy King 71-74-145

11 tied at 146