Carlota Ciganda (-7) wants them in pairs. The Navarrese golfer has put forward her candidacy for victory right from the start at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, an LPGA Tour tournament that kicked off this Friday at the Pinnacle Country Club and is played over 54 holes. It was crucial to start well, and the golfer from Ulzama certainly did.
Carlota delivered a sensational scorecard of 64 strokes on the first day and positioned herself in third place, just one stroke behind the two leaders, American Sarah Schmelzel (-8) and Japanese Minami Katsu (-8). Ciganda shares the third position with five other high-level players: Lilia Vu, Somi Lee, Alison Lee, Leona Maguire, and Nasa Hataoka.
Carlota displayed top-notch golf in Arkansas. It was a solid and comprehensive round from start to finish. She started with a birdie on the 10th and never took her foot off the pedal. She completed her first nine with a splendid four-under, adding three more birdies on holes 13, 17, and 18. She added a third consecutive on the 1st and then signed two more on holes 5 and 6. She hit eight fairways, was brilliant with the irons (15 greens), and especially accurate with the putter (26). Obviously, to sign a round of this calibre, you have to do everything well.
As we mentioned, in Arkansas, it’s only a three-day event, so starting well is especially important. Carlota has already laid the first stone to secure her second victory this year in the LPGA, after her win at the Meijer LPGA Classic. There is still a long way to go to reach the title, but the first steps have been taken. Interestingly, Ciganda’s first two titles on the American circuit also came in the same season.
It is also worth highlighting the presence in the top 10 of players like Mao Saigo, Celine Boutier, Jennifer Kupcho, and especially Danielle Kang, who hasn’t been this high in a tournament for a long time. As for the rest of the Spanish players, a good start for Julia López (-3), provisionally inside the cut, and an under-par round also for Azahara Muñoz (-1), although she will need to push a bit tomorrow to make the cut. Right now, she is at -2.
