Azahara Muñoz (+5) has missed the cut at the The Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, the last regular tournament of the LPGA Tour season. It was, therefore, the last opportunity for the golfer from San Pedro de Alcántara to earn enough points to finish the year among the top 100 in the Race to CME Globe and thus maintain full playing rights on the American circuit. It was not to be.
Azahara improved her performance on Friday from the first round, scoring 71, one over par, but she was far from the cut, which was finally set at +1. The golfer from Málaga was not particularly brilliant from tee to green and, above all, missed the help of the putter to save some tricky situations. As she arrived at this last opportunity ranked 111th, she will have to go through the School to try to regain her full rights.
It should be noted that Azahara will be able to play some tournaments next year with the category she has left (just outside the top 100), but they are very few, which is why she will compete in the School Final to try to improve her situation and increase the number of tournaments.
It will be her first appearance in the School Final, also known as the Q Series, since 2009, her first year as a professional. This fact demonstrates Azahara’s tremendous calibre as a player. She has held the card for the best circuit in the world for fifteen consecutive years. Solid and consistent by the bucketload. The School Final will be played from December 5 to 9 at the Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Alabama. Precisely, playing the School Final will prevent the Andalusian from participating in the upcoming Open de España, which takes place just the week before the School Final.
On the other hand, Carlota Ciganda (-5) has lost positions on the second day. She played under par again, scoring 69, but lost ground. In any case, she remains well-positioned in the tournament, in eighth place. She made three birdies and two bogeys. Her long game was a bit more inconsistent than on Thursday. In any case, with this result, the projection places her in 60th position, just within the goal she is pursuing this week: qualifying for the grand final of the circuit, the CME Group Tour Championship.
As for the tournament leader, it couldn’t be more exciting. A duel of champions at the Pelican Golf Club in Florida. Charley Hull (-10), who recently won on the Ladies European Tour, leads an LPGA Tour tournament for the second time in her career after 36 holes. The Englishwoman has a two-stroke advantage over Nelly Korda (-8). The American is on the hunt for her seventh victory of the year, a figure not reached by anyone since Taiwanese Yani Tseng in 2011.
