Carlota Ciganda became the fourth Spanish player to win on the LPGA Tour this Sunday in October, and she did it in style, in South Korea, a country that is producing many of the new stars of women's golf worldwide. At the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, the golfer from Navarre achieved what she had been seeking for so long.
With 18 holes to play, Carlota Ciganda was fourth at -8, five strokes behind American Alison Lee. Her rounds of 69, 60, and 69 allowed her to dream big, although the challenges were immense, as the local crowd, who once again turned out in force for the tournament, demanded a victory from their players.
In the final round, the Spaniard carded a solid 70 (-2), which, combined with a 75 from a pressured Alison Lee, brought them both to a tie on the leaderboard. The two best players of the week were at -10. Outside the playoff was the formidable Shanshan Feng (-8), among other world-class players.
On this fourth day, Carlota Ciganda's extraordinary first round could have served her the victory on a silver platter without the need for extra holes: six birdies in the first ten holes gave her an advantage that partly vanished with a double bogey and two bogeys in the last five holes.
But it was destined that a fight would be needed to win such a coveted prize. The hole chosen for the playoff was the 18th, a par 5 which Carlota Ciganda cut by one stroke, playing perfectly from tee to green. Alison Lee made par for the hole and was a direct witness to another historic moment for Spanish golf.
A victory that culminates a dream career
Despite her youth, Carlota Ciganda is a legend of Spanish golf. Her record includes Spanish Championships in every category – from junior to professional – as well as a victory on the LETAS Circuit, three on the Ladies European Tour, and a significant contribution to the European team's victory in the 2013 Solheim Cup.
In this brief biography, we must add her presence at the last Olympic Games, in which she participated alongside her teammate on the National Teams and friend Azahara Muñoz.
Her career in the United States had long been calling for such success, although the influx of enormous young talent, many from Asia, made this task difficult. Earlier this year, she had finished second in the Meijer LPGA Classic, losing to South Korea's Sei Young Kim in a playoff.
With this victory, Carlota Ciganda has become the fourth Spanish woman to win on the LPGA after Marta Figueras-Dotti, Beatriz Recari and Azahara Muñoz herself.
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