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When Carlotta Ciganda recovered her final throw from the bottom of the Cup in the Aramco-Florida team series, all she could do was smile. After being hit with a slam dunk that touched every part of the cup before it fell into the hole, Ciganda could finally breathe a sigh of relief. For the ninth time in her professional career, she was champion.
“You just have all this excitement and nerves,” Ciganda said. “It’s a huge blow to win the championship. I felt nervous. I’m not going to lie. I was happy to take him down.”
Ciganda arrived at Trump International looking to do something she’s never done before: win in the United States. Although the 32-year-old has claimed nine career titles, the win in Florida was her first in the States — and she had to work every bit of it.
Going into the week, Ciganda was far from her best. She missed back-to-back cuts for the first time since last summer and only had one top-10 finish all season. Her last win came almost a year ago, and her streak of results barely indicated a win was in sight. But golf is a funny game, and after three rounds, the Spaniard was holding the trophy.
“To win, I think it’s always special. It’s not easy to win nowadays,” said Ciganda. “I think there are a lot of good players and a lot of young guys coming through.”
The race for the title was not only a battle against some of the best players in the world, but also the extreme conditions on the track. Only two players—Ciganda and runner-up Klara Davidsson Spielkova—finished the week below par, and only six converted better than 70 all week.
Those difficult conditions turned out to be ideal for Ciganda’s playing style. The daring Spaniard turned 72, 69 and 73 to finish the week within two goals, one shot clear of Špilkova and enough for her seventh career win.
“I told myself to be patient and try to give yourself chances to the birds,” Ciganda said. “I thought not even five or ten people would finish on an equal footing just because of the wind and the track. I played really well all three days. My position was great too. I’m very happy to get it done.”