Carlota Ciganda was happy to take advantage of the off week after the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, vacationing in Hilton Head, S.C. with her boyfriend. Though golf is aplenty on the South Carolina shores, she used the time to decompress and take a few days off before heading to this week’s LPGA Drive On Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The two-time LPGA Tour winner likes what she sees while she took on the Great Waters Course during the practice rounds, but knows it’ll take every part of her game to come out on top.
“I think the course is a little trickier than what people think. The front nine the fairways are quite wide but then small greens. I think if you miss the greens it's hard to make up and down,” said Ciganda. “And then the back nine I think they are tricky. You have to play good golf, good ball striking, and the rough can be thick sometimes and quite big greens. So if you're not on the right place you can three-putt easy. I think it's going to be a nice and challenging week. And, yeah, something in between 12 and 15-under will be the winner.”
Ciganda, who is a three-time Solheim Cup player, was also excited to learn earlier this week that the Solheim Cup would be coming to Spain in 2023, at Finca Cortesin, in the heart of Spain’s Costa del Sol, from September 18-24. The Spaniard said it was a “dream come true,” and hopes to play her way onto the European Team to compete in her home country.
“I think it's such an amazing opportunity for Spain. Golf is quite big in south where the Solheim Cup is, but I think it's just going to be really nice the next three years promoting the Solheim Cup. Obviously with Aza [Munoz] and me on the team we can be there, so I think it will be really good for Spanish fans,” said Ciganda. “I think that tournament is one of my favorites, no doubt. I love playing on a team, playing for Europe, for your teammates, for a captain. To have it in your own country with all the people watching and all your family and your fans, it's just going to be unbelievable.”
Ciganda starts the first round off of No. 10 at 12:50 p.m. with Gaby Lopez and Jennifer Kupcho.
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