Carlota Ciganda: Player Profile
Who is Carlota Ciganda?
Carlota Ciganda is the leading Spanish golfer in the women’s game currently, with ten professional titles and six Solheim Cup appearances to her name.
The Spaniard had a solid amateur career which included winning the British Ladies Amateur Championship in 2007 along with a pair of European Ladies Amateur titles. She went to Arizona State University in 2008, playing in the Sun Devils’ team as they won the NCAA Championship a year later. She then made conference history by becoming the first to win consecutive Pac-10 Championships.
After turning professional in 2011, shortly after graduating, Ciganda was soon in the winners’ circle. Her first professional victory came at the Murcia Ladies Open on the LET Access Tour, before then winning twice on the Ladies European Tour in 2012, as she was named Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, along with winning the Tour’s Order of Merit. Ciganda has gone on to win ten times, including seven on the LET, three of those coming on home soil in Spain.
The 2023 Solheim Cup was Ciganda’s sixth appearance in the competition for Team Europe. She made her debut a decade earlier and has taken 9 points from a possible 19 in her matches. Ciganda is a three-time winner of the Solheim Cup with Europe, victorious in 2013, 2019 and 2021. On home soil at Finca Cortesin, the Spaniard secured the point that retained the trophy in the competition’s first ever 14-14 draw.
Carlota Ciganda | An Overview
Personal Information
Name: Carlota Ciganda Machinena
Born: June 1, 1990
Nationality: Spain
Residence: Pamplona, Spain
Career
College: Arizona State University
Turned Pro: 2011
Professional Wins: 10
Highest World Ranking: 3 – August 7, 2023
Best Results In Majors
Best Finishes:
– Chevron Championship – T4 (2015, 2019)
– Women’s PGA Championship – T2 (2020, 2023)
– US Women’s Open – 3rd (2018)
– Evian Championship – T3 (2022)
– AIG Women’s Open – T7/7th (2018, 2019)
Professional Wins – 10
2011 (1) – Murcia Ladies Open
2012 (2) – Deloitte Ladies Open, China Suzhou Taihu Open
2013 (1) – UniCredit Ladies German Open
2016 (2) – LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational
2019 (1) – Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open
2021 (1) – Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana
2022 (1) – Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open
2023 (1) – Aramco Team Series – Florida
Achievements and Awards
Ladies European Tour Order of Merit Winner – 2012
Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year – 2012
Ladies European Tour Player of the Year – 2012
Carlota Ciganda | What’s In Her Bag?
The Spaniard features a range of clubs in her bag. She plays Callaway drivers and fairway woods, with Srixon irons and Cleveland wedges. An Odyssey White Hot putter finishes off the bag, with Ciganda playing the Titleist Pro V1x.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Carlota Ciganda
When and where was Carlota Ciganda born?
Carlota Ciganda was born in Pamplona, Spain on June 1, 1990. She began playing golf at the age of 5, influenced by her father.
When did Carlota Ciganda turn professional?
Ciganda turned professional after graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in Business Administration. She made her professional debut in May 2011 at the Tenerife Ladies Match Play, and went on to gain access to a full card on the Ladies European Tour for 2012.
How many professional titles has Carlota Ciganda won?
As of September 2023, Celine Boutier has won ten times, including twice on the LPGA Tour. Those two wins came in the space of four weeks in 2016, with wins at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship and the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational. She also has seven wins on the Ladies European Tour, including three on home soil.
Did you Know?
First Season Triple
Ciganda made the move up to the Ladies European Tour full time in 2012. In her first season on the premiere golfing tour in Europe, the Spaniard was named Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, along with topping the Order of Merit.
Two-Time Olympian
As the leading Spaniard in women’s golf, Ciganda has represented her country on all stages, and none bigger than the Olympics. She finished T39 in Rio, before improving in Tokyo, with a T29 result.
Knocking On Major Door
Although the Spaniard is yet to win a major title, she has been consistently there or thereabouts over the last decade. Ciganda has finished 3rd or T3 at four majors along with three other top fives. In total, Ciganda has top-10 finishes in majors on 10 separate occasions.
Other Carlota Ciganda Articles
Ciganda: ‘I can inspire’ young Spanish golfers
The Slam: Who will be the star of Solheim Cup week?
Carlota Ciganda disqualified after slow play row at the Evian Championship
‘I don’t think that’s fair’: Ciganda has her say on slow play treatment
What do you think of Carlota Ciganda’s career so far? Can she break down that major door? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
