Carlota Ciganda: ‘I can inspire’ young Spanish golfers
By Matt Coles
She followed the likes of Carriedo and Munoz. Following the Solheim Cup, Carlota Ciganda is looking to inspire future Spanish golfers…
She secured the point to retain the 2023 Solheim Cup. Carlota Ciganda can now inspire the future of Spanish golf to grow.
The Spaniard was a pivotal member of the European Solheim Cup team, as the competition was played on Spanish soil for the first time,
Playing in front of her home crowd, the 33-year-old beat American taliswoman Nelly Korda in the penultimate singles match, sparking wild celebrations. Ciganda hopes that those moments can inspire the next generation of Spanish golfers.
“I hope it is big, I hope a lot of girls and women have watched the Solheim Cup and hopefully the golf in Spain can grow,” Ciganda said.
“Hopefully we can have more girls playing and some of them can play in future Solheim Cups.
“Hopefully I can inspire them to be professionals one day, that would be really nice.”
It was the first time that the Solheim Cup had been played in Spain, after Valderrama Golf Club held the 1997 Ryder Cup, becoming the first continental European venue to play host to the competition.
Everything came together perfectly for Ciganda, who was featuring in the Solheim for the sixth time.
“It was obviously an amazing experience for me, playing in Spain with all my family in front of me, and my home crowd,” she explained.
“It was such a fun week, I was really looking forward to the Solheim Cup in Spain because obviously the Solheim Cup is one of my favourite events.
“Then, playing for Suzann [Pettersen], playing in Spain. It was just really special and I am so happy with how it ended up. Really, really nice moments that I won’t forget!”
The Spaniard is a 10-time winner as a professional, including seven wins on the Ladies European Tour.
The team aspect of the game, though… That’s something Ciganda looks forward to, no matter what the competition.
“Playing for a team, you are playing for something bigger than yourself,” she added.
“When you play for Europe in the Solheim Cup or when I was an amateur playing for Spain, or even in this Aramco Team Series, you have teammates with you.
“It is just fun, you are trying to help them, bring the best out of them and for me it is a fun week that I really enjoy. I have played six Solheim Cups and I just love them. It is always a great week for me.”
This week, Ciganda is one of many stars featuring in the Aramco Team Series – Hong Kong.
The Spaniard is visiting the Asian nation for the first time.
She will be aiming to win a second Aramco Team Series title in 2023, having tasted victory at the Florida event back in May.
“I am very excited. I have never been to Hong Kong so I am excited to get there,” Ciganda said.
“I have been looking at the golf course a little bit, I have seen a few pictures and the course looks amazing.
“Every course we play in the Aramco Team Series is always a quality golf course. I can’t wait to be there and to see the course, see how the week goes.
“I will try to play my best and I can have another win there.”
Did you watch the Solheim Cup? Do you agree with Carlota Ciganda that Spanish golf can grow after the Solheim Cup? Can Europe win again at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 2024? Let us know what you think 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.
