Spain's Carlota Ciganda wins Aramco Team Series individual title at Trump International
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda faced a two-foot putt for the Aramco Team Series individual championship Sunday at Trump International Golf Course.
The ball rimmed around the cup on the 18th hole, finally dropping in for par, eliciting a large sigh of relief from the crowd in West Palm Beach.
It was a rough day for all golfers in windy conditions that left the course dry. But in the end, the 32-year-old Ciganda was left all wet.
As the ball dropped in, giving Ciganda a winning 2-under par for the tournament, her Spanish golfing compatriots doused her with a champagne bath on the putting green.
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It was the Spaniard’s 9th pro championship (7th on the Ladies European Tour to go along with two LPGAs).
“I don’t think I smell very good right now,’’ said the champagne-soaked Ciganda, ranked 60th in the world. ”I’m sorry. I get along with the Spanish girls. I’m very happy to smell like this.
“It’s always special to win,’’ Ciganda added. “There’s a lot of good players nowadays. To come here and win it’s big to win over big names like Lexi (Thompson), who plays here, and Lydia Ko and Alison Lee."
Regarding her two-foot putt that nearly didn’t drop, she said, “I went first. I think you have to wait 3, 4 minutes and it’s the putt to win and you get all this excitement and just nerves. It’s the putt to win the tournament. I felt nervous. I am not going to lie. I was happy to get it down.’’
The three-day $1 million Aramco Team Series, in its third year, is a Saudi-Arabian-sponsored competition that has just one USA event.
The first two days was the team competitions and it was won by Team Roussin, captained by France’s Pauline Roussin. The format calls for three pros and an amateur, making up the foursome.
The amateur on the Aramco championship squad turned out to be Michael Bickford, a local golfer from Palm Beach.
Course owner, Donald Trump, popped in and out during the weekend. On Thursday, his 16-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, by virtue of winning the club championship, played in the pre-tournament pro-am.
Here’s 3 takeaways from the three days of ladies-golf action:.
The Battle of Spain
Ciganda trailed the leader, fellow Spaniard Nuria Iturrioz, who has higher credentials. But Iturrioz struggled mightily right to her final-hole bogey and finished a distant 28th.
Ciganda got rolling Sunday during what she feels is the most rugged stretch of course - holes 6-to-8. She came out a 1-under par in that stretch.
“To play this golf course, patience was the key for this week,’’ Ciganda said. “It’s a very tricky golf course. Every hole has a creek or lake. It’s very tough golf course. It’s a great ballstriking golf course where you have to hit to the right spot. I tried to be patient.’’
Ciganda finished 1-over par for the day, eking out Czech Republic’s Klara Davidson Spilklova by one stroke. Alison Lee, an American from San Francisco, had the lead after 13 holes but faded.
A Salute to the Palm Beach Amateur
The team trophy is twice as large as the individual one. And it was joyous occasion as Bickford posed for photos with Roussin, Iturrioz and Trish Johnson. They combined for a 25-under par Friday and Saturday.
“The key was you have to have a couple of ace players - Iturrioz and Pauline are incredible golfers,’’ Bickford said. “If you don’t have a base like that, plus positive teamwork … When a teammate needed an extra shot, someone else played well. Everyone cheered each other’s birdies and pars. Positive energy.
In the first Aramco event of the year in Singapore, Roussin won the individual championship and came in second in the team event, also teamed with Iturrioz.
“We had fun last year and tried to do the same this week and we had an amazing amateur with us,’’ she said.
What happened to Ko and Thompson?
While Ko rallied in the final holes to close within 1 shot entering 18, she couldn’t pull it off. She bogeyed the final hole, barely missing a 10-foot putt for birdie and finished third.
Ko ended 2022 No. 1 in the world.
“It’s a difficult course and when it’s windy, it’s tougher but you keep grinding away,’’ Ko said. “The wind was a big factor. I still had plenty of birdie opportunities and wasn’t able to capitalize.’’
Ko said she had no idea she was just one shot off the lead going into 18. “I looked at the leaderboard, but my eyesight is not good enough,’’ Ko said. “But it wasn’t the greatest way to finish even if you’re down by 1 or up by 1. You never want to finish with a bogey. That’s what sucks more.’’
As for Thompson, the Delray Beach resident, she had a horrible final round, going 6-over par on her home course to finish 21st.
Thompson, who golfs with Trump, declined comment through her team afterward and looked furious as she emerged from the 18th green.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Spain's Carlota Ciganda wins Team Aramco Series individual title at Trump International
