Carlota Ciganda, with a remarkable card of 4 under par, has built the first part of the road to the title of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España. The Navarrese, who played to predict the future on the previous day – “I feel that on Sunday I will be on top”, she declared-, has already made her mark after the first 18 holes of competition, placing herself in fifth place behind Sweden’s Linn Grant, who, with 7 under par, momentarily leads the tournament with evident solidity.
The heroine of the last Solheim Cup, from which he left on his shoulders by the front door, applied skill and wisdom to overcome the difficulties inherent in a day with uncomfortable gusty wind and a field unknown until now for the Spanish golfer. “I like it, it suits my game,” said Carlota Ciganda with the sparkle in her eyes of someone who is already considering improving her performance for the three rounds that remain to be played.
A single bogey on the 13th hole was an anecdote in a positive round, brilliant at times, where five birdies highlighted the quality of her game. The Navarrese, however, like the rest of the participants, has been complicated by the Swedish Linn Grant, who showed that you can get out unscathed from the beautiful course of the RCG Las Brisas and, even better, with seven devastating birdies in the portfolio that make her the undisputed leader in this start of the competition.
Celine Boutier, among others, also joined the party of hits. The 5 under par of the Frenchwoman, backed by the number 3 of the world ranking and the four tournaments won this season, attracted a lot of attention on the fairways and greens of the RCG Las Brisas.
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España therefore acquired strong Solheim Cup connotations at the very beginning. Carlota Ciganda, Linn Grant and Celine Boutier, united in the joint objective of winning the duel against the American team at the end of September, now face divergent challenges, either you or me in a battle in which, as they themselves know, many other prestigious players can intervene at any time.
Alexandra Forsterling is one of them. The German, who has just won the Mallorca Ladies Golf Open last week, kept her streak intact and delivered an outstanding card of 6 under that also generates concern in the rest of her competitors.
Among them were two Spaniards, tenth classified, who did very well. Ana Pelaez from Malaga, surrounded by the local public, once again showed her contagious smile and threw her fist in the air as a sign of the satisfaction caused by a job well done. With 3 under par, product of five birdies and two bogeys, Ana Pelaez profited from the first contact with the course, postulating herself as another Spanish asset to be taken into account.
With the same record of 3 under par, much merit acquired the amateur Andrea Revuelta. A double bogey at the start meant a painful record that was not neutralized until the 8th hole, where a spectacular eagle brought her card back to par. Then, three birdies in the second round turned the young Madrilenian into another of the points of interest of an Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España that, like all the previous ones, embraces from now on the show and the uncertainty. And this time adorned with Solheim Cup trimmings.
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AT THE MICROPHONE
Carlota Ciganda, 68 strokes, fifth classified.
“I am happy on a complicated day, with a lot of wind. There were a lot of gusts and it wasn’t easy. I started well, missed a couple of greens, but then made birdies on holes 5, 6 and 8. Then, in the second round, great birdie on the 10th, bogey on the 13th and another birdie on the 16th. I ended up playing very well, shooting for birdie on the last holes. I think it’s a good round to start with. It’s my second day on the course and I’m still learning what the course is like. I like it, it’s very good, you have to hit the ball well, you have to kick well. There are different lies, different par 3’s, longer, shorter… It’s a course that demands you and if it’s windy, it gets complicated. Without wind, we will see lower scores.
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Andrea Revuelta (amateur), 69 strokes, tenth classified.
“It’s amazing to be here and to be able to learn from the European Tour players. It’s a luxury to be able to play with them. In the end you have to go out and play your game and do your best. You realize that it doesn’t matter where you are, the situation, the crowd… You have to play your game. Trust in the training you have done before coming to the tournament. You have to have a good attitude and let things work out. I’m playing well, I look good, comfortable on the field and great things can happen”.
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AROUND THE GREEN
The Race to Costa del Sol calculator
Thailand’s Trichat Cheenglab leads the Race to Costa del Sol with an advantage of 168.84 points over the second classified, France’s Céline Boutier, so, as the winner of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España will obtain 500 points, there are six players with mathematical options to take the first place in the Ladies European Tour ranking.
In addition to the aforementioned Cheenglab and Boutier, also in the fight are India’s Diksha Dagar, Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson, Germany’s Alexandra Försterling and Spain’s Ana Pelaez. For that reason, there are many variables and combinations, but basically, Trichat Cheenglab is the only one who depends on herself. If she finishes in a better or equal position than the other five players, she will win the Race to Costa del Sol.
As for Ana Peláez’s chances of winning the LET Order of Merit, they depend on winning the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España and waiting for her rivals to finish in the top positions.
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Carlota Ciganda’s prediction
Carlota Ciganda already warned during her press conference prior to the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, when she highlighted the Swedish Linn Grant as one of the favorites of the tournament. “Linn Grant is going to be one of the best players in the world. She has a very solid game”, said the player from Navarre about the first leader of the tournament being played at the Real Club de Golf Las Brisas.
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Hole in one by Caroline Hedwall
The Swedish Caroline Wedwall has not started well the defense of the title won last year. On hole 2 she made her first bogey and although she recovered on holes 5 and 8 with birdies, she failed again on holes 9, 12 and 14. Even so, on hole 16, a par 3 of 156 meters, the Swedish player made a spectacular hole in one which, in spite of everything, did not prevent her from making another bogey on hole 17 and finishing with a total score of 73 strokes (+1).
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