[PHOTO: Jorge Lemus]
Carlota Ciganda found a familiar feeling in Michigan, and those good vibes turned into her first win in nearly nine years. Blythefield Country Club reminds the 35-year-old Ciganda of Pamplona, Spain, where she grew up, and she’s stayed with the same host family in the area for the past 10 years as well.
She started the final round in a six-way tie for the lead, fell behind and then birdied three of the last four holes to shoot five-under 67 and win the Meijer LPGA Classic at 16-under, one shot ahead of Hye Jin Choi.
Ciganda, ranked 32nd in the world entering the week, punctuated her par putt on the final hole with a fist pump in celebrating her third professional win, first since the 2016 Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico, and first on American soil. It had been 3,136 days (eight years, seven months) between wins.
Ciganda, who earned $US450,000 for the victory, was scheduled to enjoy a steak dinner with her host family before preparations begin for this week’s major, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at PGA Frisco in Texas.
Lexi Thompson, trying to win for the first time in six years, also started the round in tied for the lead, but bogeys on 13, 16 and 17 dashed her hopes. Thompson shot 70 and finished tied for fourth.
What it means
Ciganda becomes the 15th different winner this season, proving more and more that there’s parity on the LPGA Tour. It’s the first time there hasn’t been a multiple winner on tour through the first 15 events since 2017. Ciganda is the oldest player – at 35 years, 14 days – to win on tour this year and she’s the oldest champion since 2022, when Eun-Hee Ji won the 2022 T-Mobile Match Play Championship at 36 years, 16 days.
Ciganda has a new caddie this year, Casey Johnson, and she credits him with helping her on the course not only with golf but having fun, something she said she didn’t have the two previous years. She got emotional talking about him during the trophy presentation and her host family as well. Her fiance, James Longman, was caddieing for Thompson this week. Ciganda and Longman will marry in Spain in December.
How it happened
Ciganda, who lost a playoff to Sei Young Kim in the 2016 Meijer, birdied the 15th, 17th and 18th holes to win. With now three top-10s in eight Meijer starts, she credited her familiarity with the course of helping her win. That and a hot putter. On the 17th hole, Ciganda hit a great approach shot to about a foot and the birdie put her into a tie for the lead. On the 18th hole, she blew a 25-foot birdie putt past the hole but made a gutsy five-foot putt comebacker for the victory.
The focus most of the round was on Choi, a 25-year-old South Korean who was trying to win for the first time. She eagled the fourth hole and took over the outright lead with a birdie on the 12th. But Choi bogeyed the 17th when she hit into the rough on the right side of the fairway and eventually missed a five-foot par putt. That created the opening for Ciganda’s strong finish.
Aussie watch
Karis Davidson lived on the fringe of contention all week, finishing equal seventh, four shots behind Ciganda. Minjee Lee and Gabi Ruffels (both T-14), Grace Kim (T-24), Hannah Green (T-36), Cassie Porter (T-44) Steph Kyriacou (T-54) and Sarah Kemp (72nd) added to the strong Aussie flavour of the leaderboard. Robyn Choi and Hira Naveed missed the cut.
Best of the rest
Somi Lee, a second-year LPGA player from South Korea, had eight birdies, including five on the front nine, and shot a career-low 65. She finished third, two shots behind… Major-winner Celine Boutier shot a five-under 67 to finish T-4… Brooke Henderson had an eventful day, with a 31 on the front nine that included an eagle, four birdies and a bogey. She shot a final-round 67 and finished T-14. She always seems to play well on Father’s Day in the USA, on which she’s won three times, including twice in the Meijer… Rookie Akie Iwai shot a final-round 65 and tied for seventh for her third top-10 of the season.
Quotable
“I’m 35 and for me, I’m not as fresh as I was when I was 24, but I still feel like I can compete and win out here and play. I love playing. I love Thursday through Sunday. I love competition. I still have the motivation to keep getting better every day. I love the life, especially those Thursday through Sundays, that adrenalin.” – Carlota Ciganda on being the oldest winner on the LPGA Tour this season
