Carlota Ciganda blasts LPGA over Evian DQ

On Friday, Carlota Ciganda was disqualified from the Evian Championship following a dispute over a slow play penalty.

On Saturday, she hit back.

The Spaniard was booted out of the fourth women’s major of the year when she refused to sign her scorecard after being assessed a two-shot penalty for slow play.

In a statement, the LPGA explained: “Group 14 … received a warning on No. 7 after being out of position. The group failed to make up time through the seventh hole, therefore the group was timed starting on No. 8.

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“On the ninth hole [the group’s last hole of the day after starting on No. 10], Carlota Ciganda’s shot times prompted a two-stroke penalty per the LPGA Tour’s Pace of Play Policy.

“Ciganda was allowed an appeal with the advance and lead rules officials before returning her scorecard, which was heard and denied. Therefore, a two-stroke penalty was upheld.

“Ciganda opted not to add the two-stroke penalty to her signed scorecard. She was told that leaving the official recording area with a signed score lower (without the penalty strokes) would lead to disqualification, and left on her own accord.”

On Saturday, the five-time Solheim Cup player took to social media to share her version of events.

“I got a few messages about the DQ from yesterday,” she wrote. “I want to be very clear and the reason I did not sign a 7 on the last hole is because I don’t think I took 52 seconds like the Rules Official said.

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“I had a 10 footer on the last hole, last [putt] and the group behind they were not even on the tee on a par 5. Very poor performance from the LPGA rules official, they don’t understand what professional golf is about, they only look at their stopwatch like if 20 seconds is going to make a difference.

“I had family and friends watching and they all said it was impossible I took that long to hit that putt!

“Yesterday was tough out there with windy conditions and difficult pins and I wish everyone gets treated the same and they don’t pick on the same players all the time! That’s all!”

Ciganda’s adjusted score would have left on six-over-par and outside of the cut line heading into the weekend.

The Spaniard has a reputation for slow play. She lost a hole – and the match – at the 2021 Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play event after being penalised for incurring a bad time.

Celine Boutier of France ultimately won the event, prevailing on home soil by six shots from defending champion Brooke Henderson.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor