Weeks After Suffering a Shocking Disqualification, LPGA Pro Divulges Her Woes at $9M Major: ‘I Know I’m Not Quick..’

The fifth and final major of women’s golf is underway. The AIG Women’s Open is currently being played at the Walton Heath Old Golf Course. One hundred forty-four players are eyeing the title and the purse worth $9 Million. Amongst them, an LPGA pro is trying to refocus the slow-play penalty past into a quicker game.

The LPGA star was disqualified in late July when The Evian Championship was in its final leg. She got a 2-stroke penalty for her slow play, and her refusal to accept it led to her disqualification. Rules and regulations do not listen to anyone else when overlooked. Similar was the case here. Now the pro golfer is back and trying to make amends. But she is still not over what happened in France.

LPGA Pro silently lashes out

In France, the rules official revealed that Carlota Ciganda took 52 seconds to hit the putt. And as per the LPGA Tour’s pace of play policy, that is not allowed. When the golfer appealed in front of the authorities and got denied, she refused to sign the scorecard. It led to her disqualification.

But like any other human being, she also clarified her side of the story to the golf world. After the incident, Ciganda took to her Instagram stories and called it a poor judgment by the authorities, claiming that they do not understand professional golf.

After round 1 at AIG Women’s Open, LPGA Pro took the chance to interact with the press and opened up about her present game pace. A fortnight after the incident, the 33-year-old Spaniard continued to stand her ground at Walton Heath. She said, “I know I’m not quick, like I know that there are a lot of quicker players out there, but I think there are a lot of slow players, and they don’t get penalized, and they don’t get timed as much as I do, so I don’t think that’s fair.”

However, she also acknowledged that post the disqualification, she has also been practicing to increase speed on the greens. She says, “I think on the greens I was a bit quicker. We’ve been waiting a few holes to the group in front, so I think we did a good job.”

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She also added that sometimes authorities should understand that the players are playing for a living. Therefore, sometimes a shot can sometimes and should be accommodated. Do you agree with her?

Ciganda’s journey at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open

The one to lead the scoreboard is an American golfer, Ally Ewing. On the first day, she scored 4-under 68. The golf world witnessed her in action, carding two birdies, one bogey, and later an eagle. Her most recent victory was in 2022. And it might be safe to say that she will be looking for this year’s win before the season closes.

Spanish LPGA pro Carlota Ciganda, played a stunning match in the first round at Walton Heath.  She opened with a 2-under 70 and stood in the leaderboard’s seventh position. Defining her gameplay, Ciganda, said she is doing her best. While she pointed out the inequality that bothers her within the LPGA tour, she also said that she is nice to all and expects similar treatment from everyone else. Do you think Ciganda has a point?

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