- Ciganda, -17, leads by four strokes and will be looking for her second Spanish Open tomorrow
- Amateur Andrea Revuelta and Rosie Davies signed the best round in the history of the course in a women’s professional tournament with 64 strokes
Carlota Ciganda continues to show why she is one of the best Spanish golfers of all time. On the third day of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España presented by Oysho, she shone with her own light by completing another spectacular round of 66 strokes (-6), consolidating her lead with a cumulative total of -17 and four strokes ahead of Sunday’s final day.
From the opening stages of her round at Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf, Ciganda made it clear that she was not going to give up any ground. With consecutive birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes, and another on the 8th hole, she took an authoritative lead. In the second round, she continued to extend her advantage with birdies on the 12th, 14th and 16th holes. “Three rounds with only one bogey is hard to achieve. From the tee I wasn’t very comfortable, but I played at a very high level with the irons and wedges, and I made some very good putts”, she said at the end of her round. She also expressed her excitement about competing in Spain: “The Open is a tournament that I have always marked in red in my calendar and it would be great to repeat here. Tomorrow I’ll continue to do my thing and look for another result like the ones I’ve had this week’.
Belgian Manon De Roey, with a round of 66 strokes, is also in second place with a total of -13. De Roey, second on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit and champion of this year’s South African Open, once again showed her consistency and determination.
Meanwhile, Andrea Revuelta and Rosie Davies were the biggest surprises of the day as they both carded a historic 64 (-8), a Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf record in a women’s professional tournament and the second lowest round in a professional tournament after Miguel Angel Jimenez’s 63. The Spanish amateur, with six birdies in seven holes between the eighth and 14th and a flawless game, climbed to third place with a -11 total, maintaining her love affair with the Spanish Open after last year’s seventh place in Las Brisas. ‘It was a sensational round. I missed a few chances, but overall I’m very happy. The pressure I feel here is different to the United States. I have the support of the public and my people, and that makes everything a little easier,’ said Revuelta at the end of his day.
In the chasing group, Helen Briem, Pia Babnik and Pranavi Urs share the fourth position with -10, while the Spanish contingent continues to show a high level. Marta Martín and María Hernández, with a total of -8, remain in the top-10, consolidating their good tournament. The Spaniard keeps alive her chances of entering the final round of the LPGA Q-Series if she manages to get into the top three tomorrow.
Ana Pelaez, Carla Bernat and Teresa Toscano also stood out with consistent rounds that keep them in the fight to finish in a good position, with -6 for the first and -4 for Toscano.
With only 18 holes to play, the excitement is guaranteed on Sunday’s final day. The Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf, in perfect conditions, will be the stage where Carlota Ciganda will seek to be crowned champion for the second time in the Spanish Open, while Andrea Revuelta will try to complete a tournament to remember from third place.
AROUND THE GREEN
Hole in one by Nuria Iturrioz, awarded a trip courtesy of Malaga City Council.
Malaga City Council leaves its mark on all the par threes on the course: holes 2, 3, 5 and 17. Throughout the 22-year history of the competition, only eight holes in one had ever been recorded. However, Nuria Iturrioz from Majorca broke the statistics with a spectacular hole in one on the par three 13th hole. With this achievement, Iturrioz won the exclusive prize offered by the Malaga City Council: a six-night stay to enjoy the city, host of this Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España presented by Oysho.
Illustrious caddies at the Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf
This Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España presented by Oysho also stands out for the stories of the caddies that accompany the players. Among them is Ben Cain, ex-professional rugby player, who teams up with the Austrian Emma Spitz. Similarly, Ireland’s Lauren Walsh has Gary Duplooy, a former member of the Zimbabwe national rugby team, as her caddie.
England’s Hannah Burke has the privilege of having Mike Dean, famous Premier League referee during the 1990s and 2000s, while Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta is accompanied by Becky Brewerton, champion of the Spanish Open in 2009.
Among the Spanish line-up are Víctor Jiménez, son of the legendary Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who caddies for Mireia Prat, and Alejandro Larrazábal, former winner of the British Open Amateur and who this week accompanies the amateur Paula Martín in the bag.