At 1:40 p.m. on Friday, September 22, 2023, another historic milestone of the 2023 Solheim Cup, the packed stands of the 1st tee of Finca Cortesín roared, really roared, as Carlota Ciganda wanted from before the start of the competition.

VIDEO | This is how the first day of the 2023 Solheim Cup went

It had already been done, it is true, early in the morning, when the first group of players seeking victory in the 2023 Solheim Cup held at Finca Cortesín faced the doubles matches.

However, the typical clamor of that iconic place of any Solheim Cup, where so many passions are concentrated as the starting point of so many feats, awaited the special moment to roar, to truly roar, the moment when Carlota Ciganda, local idol, hit the ball with the intention of taking it to the green, 240 meters, several bunkers and much water beyond.

The Navarrese golfer, the only Spanish representative in the most important women's golf tournament in the world, a Solheim Cup 100 % player, who transforms herself, who gets involved, who generates and spreads passions, took action.

She, along with seven other European teammates, faced the enormous challenge of reversing an adverse situation with historical implications. That morning, during the Foursomes tournament, the United States had inflicted an unprecedented 0-4 defeat, reflecting their overwhelming superiority.

The morning session was dominated by the colors of the American team's stripes and stars, a well-oiled machine that quickly resolved the duel between Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight - a victory on the 14th hole by 5/4 - before quelling any attempt at a reaction in the other three matches, one of them decided on the 17th hole and two more on the 18th.

With this complicated situation, Carlota Ciganda began the day alongside her teammate Linn Grant and the rest of the European representatives in action, the new proposal of captain Suzanne Pettersen to minimize a hemorrhage that needed urgent healing.

Carlota Ciganda threw herself into the challenge with all her might, sinking a spectacular birdie on the first hole that allowed them to take the lead. The spectators, once again, roared for the golfer from Navarre, aware that the European team needed a major boost to overcome such a precarious situation.

Driven by the need for a reaction, the duel between Europeans and North Americans entered a phase of tremendous equality, where every success and every mistake generated abrupt but at the same time small imbalances in the balance, which went as quickly from equilibrium to advantage by a hole on the part of one or the other team.

Spanish fans - and many Europeans - were focusing their attention on the match between Carlota Ciganda and the Swede Linn Grant, 2 up on the 4th hole thanks to another birdie by the Spaniard, 1 up on the 6th thanks to another birdie by the American Yin.

Further along the course, an incredible 163-meter hole-in-one by Denmark's Emily Pedersen on the 12th hole; a 60-meter approach shot sank by Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh on the 14th; a wonderful chip by England's Georgia Hall on the 18th… injected additional energy into a European team that needed all kinds of successes and motivations to overcome its tough final.

Partial scores of 0-8 in favor of the United States or a tie at 4, anything was possible, such was the accumulated uncertainty, when both teams faced the last holes of the course, a final stretch where an American victory and two ties were achieved, one of them after a wonderful putt by the Swede Maja Stark.

Because before that, Carlota Ciganda and her partner Linn Grant had already secured their victory, the only decisive one of the afternoon, by 4/2, the palpable confirmation that the Spaniard is a 100% Solheim player, who transforms, who gets involved, who generates and spreads passions.