Carlota Ciganda (-18) has won the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España after signing off with a final round of 71 strokes, showcasing immense skill and courage in a round of golf that had become seriously complicated from the start and later faced extremely delicate moments. This is the second victory for the Navarre native in the Spanish Open (she also won it in 2021), placing her in a very exclusive club: no one has won this tournament three times, and only two other players have won it twice, like her, the Dutch Anne Van Dam (2018 and 2019) and another Spaniard, Azahara Muñoz (2016 and 2017).
Two bogeys from the Pamplona native on holes 1 and 3, combined with birdies from the Belgian Manon de Roey (-17) on holes 3 and 4, quickly erased the comfortable four-stroke lead Carlota had over her playing partner, De Roey. A new story began, and it was Ciganda who was struggling after accumulating in just three holes the same number of bogeys she had signed in the previous 54…
In such situations, it’s not easy to get back into the game. Her first reaction, with a birdie on hole 5, was that of a great champion, but it can be said with certainty that Ciganda won the tournament in the stretch of holes 9, 10, and 11, where she saved three pars that, to be honest, at times didn’t even seem possible. On the 9th, she found herself in serious trouble from the tee, but her skill (a great low shot from under the trees) and a timely dose of luck (the ball went in and out of a green bunker, stopping about six metres from the flag) turned the situation around; on the 10th, a par 5, she sent the ball into the water on her second shot (great par putt from about two metres); and on the 11th, she made a pilgrimage along the entire right flank of the hole and ended up sinking a long putt from about seven metres to save a miraculous par… In short, it’s clear that the miracle didn’t fall from the sky; she made it happen.
Carlota has plenty of composure, determination, and even a winning touch when playing in Spain. Even in Europe, one might add, or in the Ladies European Tour, a circuit where she has already claimed eight victories, compared to the two she holds across the Atlantic in the LPGA Tour, where she has played regularly for over a decade. It’s true that the average level on the US circuit is much higher, but it’s also true that in the LET, the Spaniard finds it much easier to convince herself that she is a clear contender for victory every time she tees off on the 1st hole of the first round. This was the eleventh time she competed in the national Open, and her worst result remains the twelfth place she achieved last year, having won it twice and finished second twice.
Alongside her, in the star group, Andrea Revuelta (-12) surely took good notes of everything. The Madrid native also delivered a 71 in a final round where she lacked spark and the knack for seizing opportunities on the greens. But her name fits perfectly into this chronicle, as Andrea has been making waves with some achievements that suspiciously resemble those of the great champion, Carlota Ciganda. The Navarre native played her first two Spanish Opens at the ages of 17 and 18, still as an amateur, finishing eighth and ninth (in 2007 and 2009); and Revuelta has already played two editions, also as an amateur, at the ages of 17 and 18, securing a seventh and a fifth place. Andrea says with great charm, when asked about the great generation of young Spanish golfers making their mark in the amateur world, that “big things are coming.” Given what we’ve seen, she’s absolutely right.
