. Carlota Ciganda edged out Germany's Esther Henseleit by a single stroke in a tournament finale that was as captivating as it was dramatic.
Carlota Ciganda has completed her own personal victory circle at the Estrella Damm
The Mediterranean Ladies Open was held with enormous success at the Terramar Golf Club, completing the only remaining deficiency in our country: winning a Ladies European Tour tournament.
Champion of Spain in the Benjamin category in 2000, at just 10 years old, the Navarrese golfer subsequently won in all categories, from Junior to Absolute, also including the title of Spanish Professional Champion in 2012.
Seven years later, after several attempts in which she almost solved this LET deficit – most recently in the 2017 edition of this Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open which she almost won – Carlota Ciganda smiles decisively after embellishing her resume with a series of sporting achievements that no one else has achieved in our country.
With two Solheim Cups and now four Ladies European Tour victories under her belt, the golfer from Navarre was the first to realize that she had a golden opportunity to add to her already impressive record, trailing Germany's Laura Fuenfstueck by two strokes at the start of the final day. In fact, the German, a model of consistency for three rounds, crumbled as soon as she saw Carlota Ciganda step onto the tee, accompanied by her loyal and large legion of supporters, who passionately celebrated each of her shots.
Laura Fuenfstueck, a bundle of nerves, sent the ball out of bounds on her first shot and, on the 2nd hole, strung together three tremendously faulty shots generating in both cases the same condemnation: two double bogeys.
Carlota Ciganda, almost without warming up, took the lead with a comfortable margin, two strokes ahead that only widened further as the holes went by. The Navarrese player was sharpening her putting – good birdies on holes 6 and 7 – and her rivals were getting tangled up in many of the most complicated points of the beautiful Sitges course.
However, it wasn't Laura Fuenfstueck and the Finnish player Sanna Nuutinen who posed the real danger. That came silently but not unexpectedly from another German player, Esther Henseleit, backed by her newly acquired number 1 ranking on the Ladies European Tour, who took over from her compatriot as the real danger rival for the Spanish golfer.
Well positioned but lurking throughout the first half of the day, when two consecutive bogeys seemed to rule her out of the fight for the title, Esther Henseleit stepped forward with enormous energy, seriously presenting her candidacy for the final victory thanks to five birdies in seven holes, from 7 to 13, which placed the German golfer in the spotlight.
Excitement and uncertainty gripped the streets of Golf Terramar, as Carlota Ciganda's steely composure was tinged with some doubtful moments – bogeys on holes 11 and 13 minimized by a very timely birdie on the 12th – narrowing the gap to just one stroke.
With that slim lead, Carlota Ciganda faced her final five heart-stopping holes, constantly reminded of what had happened in the previous group, where Esther Henseleit was playing. Neither player, however, was able to change her score either way, with tension running high. Five consecutive pars, once Carlota Ciganda completed her final hole, generated an electrifying wave of widespread admiration. The player from Navarre can now say she has completed her winning circle at the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open.
Carlota Ciganda, an icon of Spanish women's golf
Champion of Spain in everything from the youngest category to professional, an exhaustive collection of successes unparalleled in the history of Spanish golf that make Carlota Ciganda's record unique in the field of this sport.
Her spectacular career began almost two decades ago when a very young 10-year-old girl won the Spanish Benjamin Championship held at that time in the Mallorcan field of Santa Ponsa.
At that time, in the year 2000, she was already imposing her will with an iron fist – just 2 over par and, get this, a 24-stroke lead over the second-place finisher, Patricia Mestre!! – a glorious performance that then transformed the
The word "competition" is a pipe dream thanks to a golf game that has gained in consistency, solidity, and even spectacularity over the years.
Later came the Spanish Championships for Under-12s (2001 and 2002), Under-14s (2003 and 2004), Under-16s (2003, 2004 and 2006), Under-18s (2006, 2007 and 2008), Juniors (2006, 2007 and 2008), Absolutes (2006, 2007 and 2008) and Professionals (2012), an overwhelming trajectory in our country interspersed, of course, with international amateur and professional triumphs of the highest prestige that have made Carlota Ciganda an icon within Spanish women's golf.
Carlota Ciganda: “I’m very happy, we’re going to celebrate in a big way”
Carlota Ciganda was the picture of satisfaction after handing in her scorecard, confirming her victory at the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open. “I’m so happy. Winning in Spain, surrounded by your people, tastes even sweeter. It was a tough day, very windy, where it was more important than ever to hit the fairways and greens hard. The competition was fierce, I knew that, and although Laura Fuenfstueck gave it her all, I wasn’t surprised when Esther Henseleit took over,” she calmly summarized.
The tense situation that developed over the last five holes, where neither player was able to change the scoreboard, generated all sorts of emotions. “I admit it made me nervous, I won’t deny it, but it’s in those situations that I like to play, with a lot of adrenaline. Now the whole family is going to celebrate. We do it even when I don’t win, so I know this time it will be a big celebration.”.
A good performance from Beatriz Recari, tenth place, and the rest of the Spanish team
Carlota Ciganda's spectacular victory overshadowed the strong performances of the other Spanish players who made the cut, such as Beatriz Recari, who finished in tenth place after three months without playing, ten strokes behind the winner. "I've won my tournament," the golfer from Navarre said with satisfaction.
Another Navarrese sailor, María Hernández, and Carmen Alonso from Valladolid shared 26th place after four days where the highlights far outweighed the low points. Meanwhile, Luna Sobrón from the Balearic Islands finished in 43rd place, two places behind Marta García Llorca from Galicia, a very commendable result considering her amateur status.
Sponsors are committed to women's golf and
Companies
Apart from the sponsorship of Estrella Damm and the institutions that collaborate on the event -Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputació de Barcelona, Ayuntamiento de Sitges, RFEG, Federación Catalana de Golf-, special mention should also be made of the other companies that contribute to the celebration of the tournament, such as the co-sponsors Finisher and Grupo Romeu
and from the suppliers Bargosa, Kyocera, Sub70, Fever-tree, Greenmowers and Vilamobil Audi.
TV entry and broadcast
The ticket to witness the show of
Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open
It is free -right of admission reserved- during the competition days and the event will be broadcast by TV3, Andalucía TV, Movistar Golf, Teledeporte and LaLigaSportsTV for all those who cannot travel to the
Terramar Golf Club. Additionally, the tournament has the participation of Holagolf and TV3 Esports3 as official media outlets.,
Movistar+Golf and Radio Marca.
Additionally, the Ladies European Tour production company is responsible for broadcasting the images on various television channels in 105 countries.
SOURCE: Tournament Organization
