After a strong start to the season, Carlota Ciganda claimed her first win on the LPGA Tour since her victory at the 2016 Citi Banamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational. She defeated Hye-Jin Choi by one stroke to take home the trophy at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
Going into the final round, Madelene Sagstrom, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Lexi Thompson, Sofia Garcia, Hye-Jin Choi and Ciganda were tied at the top of the leaderboard at 11-under par for the tournament. It was back and forth all afternoon as Ciganda, Thompson and Choi exchanged the lead along with Korea’s Somi Lee. In the end, birdies on the final two holes pushed Ciganda to the win over Choi after she bogeyed the 17th hole.
“Winning is always very special,” she said after her victory. “I wanted to win in the U.S., and I think winning now against all these really good players is very special. Just very happy, very proud how I handled this week.”
With her victory, Ciganda won $450,000 in prize money along with 500 points in the Race to CME Globe. She is also projected to move into the top 10 in the standings in the Race to CME Globe.
Next week, the LPGA will have its third major tournament of the year at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Frisco, Texas. All of the top players on the LPGA Tour will be in the field looking to claim the title. First on the Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit, Mimi Rhodes, will also be playing this week.
