{"id":10446,"date":"2021-11-28T21:24:46","date_gmt":"2021-11-28T19:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ladiesingolf.com\/?p=10446"},"modified":"2021-11-28T21:25:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-28T19:25:35","slug":"ciganda-wins-andalucia-costa-del-sol-open-de-espana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ladiesingolf.com\/en\/ciganda-wins-andalucia-costa-del-sol-open-de-espana\/","title":{"rendered":"Ciganda Wins Andaluc\u00eda Costa del Sol Open de Espa\u00f1a"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo: Tristan Jones<\/em><\/p>\n

In the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol Atthaya Thitikul, Pia Babnik and Stephanie Kyriacou finish as the top three<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carlota Ciganda became the second Spanish player to win the Andaluc\u00eda Costa del Sol Open de Espa\u00f1a as she recorded a four-shot victory.<\/p>\n

The Solheim Cup star produced a final round of 67 (-5) to give her a winning total of 15-under-par for the tournament and she joined Azahara Munoz in winning her national championship.<\/p>\n

Ciganda, who held a three-shot lead coming into the final day, had an excellent front nine at Los Naranjos Golf Club with two birdies and an eagle to make the turn in 32 (-4).<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old remained calm and collected on the back nine and finished with a flourish rolling in a birdie on the 18th<\/sup> to win her fifth LET title and first since the 2019 Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy, it\u2019s a tournament that I really wanted to win. I love Spain and to win your country\u2019s tournament is something very special so I\u2019m happy with the way I played,\u201d said Ciganda.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo shoot two bogey-free rounds round here is great golfing, it was quite tough in the back nine with the wind, so I was pleased with how I played all week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to go as low as I could, I wasn\u2019t trying to focus on the others I was trying to do my own thing and make as many birdies as I could.\u00a0I think I followed my strategy, and my caddie did a great job – I think he did really good – so I\u2019m happy with no mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

After finishing in the top ten in her last seven appearances in the tournament, it meant a lot for Ciganda to secure the victory in front of her home fans.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain, I get emotional because I love Spain and I love my family, so it\u2019s just amazing to win this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four shots behind Ciganda in second place was Sweden\u2019s Maja Stark who posted a bogey-free final round of 66 (-6) to finish on 11-under-par.<\/p>\n

Stark started the week with a round of 74 but got to know the course better each day posting rounds of 68 and 69 before her 66 on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed the week apart from my first round and my first hole on Saturday, I think Spain is my favourite place to play,\u201d said the 21-year-old, who won the Estrella Damm Ladies Open presented by Catalunya in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing so close to the top five (in the Race to Costa Del Sol) stings a little bit, that was my goal for the week – I knew I had to win and nothing else was on my mind.\u00a0It was close but Carlota played great so you can\u2019t be unhappy with it, I\u2019ll just try again next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what I had to do but I didn\u2019t\u2019 go the whole way, but not making any bogeys on the final day of a tournament when you\u2019re going for every pin, I think is still pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

2021 Race to Costa del Sol champion Atthaya Thitikul finished in third place, three shots behind Stark on eight-under-par after a final round of 71 (-1).<\/p>\n

The 18-year-old began her round with a bogey, before rolling three birdies on the rest of the front nine.<\/p>\n

Another birdie on 14 put the Thai talent within four shots but she soon found the water at 15 and came away with a double bogey to put an end to her title hopes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt really good this week, I hit some pretty good shots out there but just missed a couple of putts, Carlota played really well though, so she deserves the trophy,\u201d said Thitikul.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a rollercoaster this year, I feel really great and honoured to be the Race to Costa Del Sol number one, as it\u2019s my rookie year as well, it\u2019s been a great year for me on the LET.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the LET staff, all the players have been really nice, and I\u2019m so happy to do what I love, and I have loved to be able to be a part of the Ladies European Tour this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s Fatima Fernandez Cano ended the tournament in fourth place on seven-under-par after shooting a 69 (-3) on day four.<\/p>\n

While compatriot Nuria Iturrioz produced the round of the day carding a seven-under-par 65 to propel her up the leaderboard. The three-time LET winner made an eagle on the second before adding a birdie on the seventh, she then rolled in four birdies in a row on hole 10 through 13.<\/p>\n

Although Iturrioz dropped a shot on 15, the Spaniard finished in style with a birdie at the last to be tied for fifth alongside Australia\u2019s Stephanie Kyriacou on five-under-par for the tournament.<\/p>\n

Finland\u2019s Ursula Wikstrom was seventh on four-under-par with Sweden\u2019s Jessica Karlsson in eighth, while Belgian Manon De Roey and India\u2019s Aditi Ashok were tied for ninth place on two-under-par.<\/p>\n

In the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol, Thitikul ends the year as number one with 3,591.96 points to her name and Slovenia\u2019s Pia Babnik is second with 1.953.89.<\/p>\n

Kyriacou moves up to third place thanks to her finish in Spain with Sanna Nuutinen fourth, Olivia Cowan fifth, Stark sixth and Ciganda jumps up to 14th<\/sup> because of her win.<\/p>\n\n\t\t