A year after securing final Solheim Cup point in Spain, Spanish star captures her second Spanish Open

The last time Carlota Ciganda made headlines in her native Spain was only a year ago when she secured the final point Europe needed to retain the Solheim Cup. It was there, at Finca Cortesin, that the Pamplona native topped World No. 1 Nelly Korda in Sunday singles when she hit her tee shot to two feet on the par-3 17th hole for a kick-in birdie. That gave Europe the 14th point it needed to hold on to the cup.

On Sunday in Malaga, the 34-year-old took a four-shot lead into the final round at Real Club Guadalhorce after shooting 67-66-66 and shot 71 to hold on for a one-shot victory in the Spanish Open, her second in three years in this event. She ended with an 18-under-par 270 total to top Belgium’s Manon De Roey to collect her eighth win on the Ladies European Tour. Ciganda won the 2021 Spanish Open by four shots of Sweden’s Maja Stark.

“I’m very happy to win here in Spain in front of so many people and my family, it’s always great to play here. I love Spain and it’s always very special,” said Ciganda. “It wasn’t easy, sometimes when you have a four-shot lead it’s not easy. I haven’t been up there in a while, so I had some adrenaline going on and started with a couple of bogeys and Manon played really good on the front nine, so we were pretty tight those first few holes.”

It was a nervy start to the final round for the two-time LPGA winner as she bogeyed two of the first three holes. But she rebounded with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 to steady the ship and added two more on the 14th and 17th holes to give her a cushion heading into the home hole, where she made bogey.

De Roey, 32, birdied three of the first seven holes and birdied the par-5 12th, but then parred each of her last six holes to shoot 68 and end just one off the top spot. De Roey has won twice on the LET, including the South African Open back in April. India’s Pranavi Urs was in third place, four behind Ciganda.

“I knew I had to make a lot of birdies today, I got off to a good start and she [Carlota] didn’t start that well,” De Roey said. “It was up and down the whole round. I got really close. I’m very happy with how I played, I played bogey-free again and didn’t really make any mistakes. I’m still really happy.”

This marked the final event of the LET season. Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini, De Roey and England’s Charley Hull secured the top three positions in the tour’s Order of Merit. Ciganda, ranked 39th in the world, jumped from 81st to 28th with her victory. The top 70 secured full LET status for 2025.