The European ladies did it again! They proved once more that women’s golf can get as wild as the men events. Hundreds of people witnessed the Andalucia Spanish Open, and surrounded the fairways of Los Naranjos Golf Course, following their favorite players. The Spanish Open doubled its money prize from the previous year in 2019. The winner, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) pocketed a total of 90,000€. Ciganda started with a round of 70(-2), but she never let the guard down. The Spaniard shot rounds of (70-66-70-67) and took the trophy home with a total of 15-under par, finishing with a birdie on Hole 18 and having all the eyes on her.
Head Vs. Heart.
Carlota Ciganda feels loved at home but always returns to the LPGA Tour.
The Ladies European Tour struggles to offer high monetary rewards due to the lack of external support. The audience increased a little more since LPGA players take part in the Saudi Arabia events in New York that are part of the LET Tour. The sponsorships also reflect the big gap between LET Tour and LPGA.
The women players in Europe find it harder to find sponsors than the American players. The winner, Carlota Ciganda studied in the United States, and as much as she loves her country and to play for Spain, Ciganda remains in the LPGA leaderboards because of the economic benefits, among other things.
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The leading players overcame all obstacles to finish on a high note.
Los Naranjos welcomed us with sunny days but yet some strong wind came through during the third round specially. Not to mention the perfomance of one of the referees towards the leading group. He made the time the protagonist instead of the players. Regardless, the scores didn’t show much red numbers except for Jessica Karlsson(SWE) who shot 68(-4), the best Scandinavian score of the day.
The last round started off calm and steady, until the wind picked up again half way through. However, the players faced it as what they are, professionals. Ursula Wikstrom(FIN) played in the second to last group fighting for the podium. Wikstrom had a strong long-distance game throughout the tournament, however her putting was not on her side and it hurt the scores by few strokes. The Finnish golfer finished 4-under par for a 7th position.
The Swedish, Maja Stark was 5-under par after round three, and she slipped into the leading group of the Andalucia Spanish Open. Stark was only 1 shot ahead from the fourth player, the Spaniard Fatima Fernandez Cano. At the end, Stark sped up and finished with a total of -11, only four shots behind the lead, and a 3-shot advantage over the third position. The Spaniard, Fatima finished strong in a 4th place after a great performance. She recently earned the LPGA card, but yet Cano behaves as if she had been competing in the Main Tour for many years now.
| Ladies European Tour | Andalucia Costa del Sol – Open de España |
|---|---|
| Course | Los Naranjos Golf Club Malaga, Spain |
| Prize Money | 600,000€ |
| Defending Champion | Carlota Ciganda (ESP) |
| Focus players | Alice Hewson, Felicity Johnson, Gabriella Cowley, Hannah Burke, Maja Stark, Ursula Wikstrom |
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