Carlota Ciganda of Spain. Photo: Tristan Jones/LET.
Team Roussin triumphed in the team competition with a winning score of 25-under-par while it was seventh heaven for Carlota Ciganda as she won the individual title at the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Florida.
The quartet of Pauline Roussin, Nuria Iturrioz, Trish Johnson and amateur Michael Bickford led overnight after play was suspended due to bad light and returned in the morning.
Having accumulated a five-shot lead, Team Roussin just had to see through their final four holes, which they did, to seal a second round of nine-under and win by two shots with a total of 25-under-par.
Captain Roussin, who won the Individual title in Singapore in March, said, “It’s a pretty cool outcome after these two long days, but we made it happen. It was a lot of fun.
“We really got along and were just having fun despite how much of a challenge the golf course is and here we are with the trophy! I’m proud of this team and I would not have played it with anyone else.”
LET legend Johnson explained, “I’m extremely grateful. I have to say it was brilliant watching Pauline and Nuria, and Michael played great. He really did contribute a lot.
“I did a little bit yesterday, didn’t do much today, but these two really were fabulous and it doesn’t matter if you win by ten or you win by one. You win and that’s all that counts. It was a great experience.”
Team Alexander, led by captain Casandra Alexander, finished in second place on 23-under-par after a second round of 10-under.
Captain Alexander said, “It was just a bit slow today. In the first round, we played really nicely where we made a birdie and then a couple of even pars but today, we just struggled to get going.
“As a team generally, we struggled to get it going, but then we got it together in the last five holes when our amateur made a birdie putt where he stroked so he was two-under – bargain!
“Gabs also made a long putt and that helped us out, but I think it was a little too late in the round. The front nine really played tough today with the wind. All in all, it was up there, and we tried our best.”
Team Ko ended the competition in third place one shot further back on 22-under-par with Team Simmermacher and Team Peláez Trivino both on 20-under-par.
Team Lee and Team Gustavsson finished in a share of sixth place on 18-under-par with Team Davidson Spilkova in eighth, Team Gainer in ninth and Team Cowan in tenth.
After the second round, the cut fell at +10 with 65 players making it through the final day.
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda began the final round one off the lead but started with two bogeys in her opening three holes at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
However, the Solheim Cup winner soon rolled in three birdies on six, seven and nine to be in control at the midway mark of her day.
Another dropped shot on 10 was soon eradicated by a birdie on 13, but then Ciganda found the water on 16 and made a double bogey.
But the 32-year-old held her nerve and made two pars on her last two holes to finish on two-under-par, which was enough for her to clinch her seventh LET title.
“To win, I think it’s always special. It’s not easy to win nowadays,” said Ciganda. “I think there are a lot of good players and a lot of the youngsters are coming very strong.
“To come here and win also with some big names like Lexi, Lydia Ko and Alison Lee – they are all great players – and the top Europeans. I love playing in Europe. It’s a great atmosphere. It is always very friendly and like a family.
“Since I came here and played this golf course, I thought patience was the key for this week. I think it’s a very tricky golf course. Pretty much every hole has a creek or a lake or a hazard. It’s a great ball-striking golf course, you have to hit it to the right spot.
“I said to myself be patient and try to give yourself birdie chances. I thought not even five or 10 people were going to finish under par just because of the wind and the course. I played really well all three days. My putting was great as well. I’m just very happy to get it done.
“On the last, I hit a first great putt, and I think if I go and tap that in, I think it’s easier. You have to wait and you know it’s the putt to win. All of a sudden you get all this excitement and just nerves. I was nervous, I’m not going to lie, and I think I held myself pretty good and very happy to get it done.”
Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova produced a round of 74 (+2) to finish in second place in Florida on one-under-par.
It was a bogey-bogey start for the two-time LET winner but she soon rolled in a birdie on three before a double bogey on five and another dropped shot on nine.
However, Spilkova recovered well and stayed patient on her back nine rolling in birdies on 13 and 15 to finish only one shot behind winner Ciganda.
The Czech star explained, “It was difficult, mentally. It was quite a difficult golf course. The first day was my best day, it was a nice flow and I was hitting a lot of pars and then the last two days was like a real rollercoaster.
“But I fought back on the back nine today. I was really good and felt really good and after the first nine, I’m very proud of myself. It’s just that one shot or two would have been nice, but it’s okay.”
Germany’s Olivia Cowan produced the joint-best round of the day with a 68 (-4) to finish in a share of third place on even par alongside world number three Lydia Ko.
Slovenia’s Ana Belac rounded off a good week in a tie for fifth place alongside American Alison Lee on one-over-par with France’s Celine Herbin and Scotland’s Louise Duncan one shot further back.
Sweden’s Linnea Johansson ended the tournament in ninth place on three-over with five players in a tie for tenth place on four-over.
In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, Aditi Ashok still leads and now has 1,260 points at the top of the standings.
Sweden’s Linn Grant sits second with 1,005.33 points having increased her total with Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivino in third with 887.33 points.
Czechia’s Spilkova moves from ninth to fourth with her second-place finish and now has 804.16 points, while France’s Pauline Roussin is fifth with 588 points.
England’s Lily May Humphreys is sixth with 561.33, winner Ciganda jumps from 78th to seventh and now has 560 points to her name.
South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai is in eighth, England’s Alice Hewson is ninth and Sweden’s Maja Stark rounds out the top ten.
