LPGA’s Carlota Ciganda Responds to Evian Championship DQ Controversy, Criticizes Rules Officials

Ciganda took to Instagram to comment on the ruling: ‘They don’t understand what professional golf is about.’

The Evian Championship saw a peculiar rules dispute on Friday afternoon involving two-time LPGA winner Carlota Ciganda. 

Ciganda was disqualified from the fourth LPGA major of the season for signing an incorrect scorecard after she refused to accept a two-stroke slow play penalty. 

According to LPGA officials, Ciganda received a bad time on the 9th hole at Evian Resort—her 18th hole of the day. 

She appealed the penalty, but was “heard and denied” by rules officials. The Spanish Tour pro proceeded to return her scorecard without adding the two shots to her 1-over score of 72, and was promptly disqualified. 

Without the penalty, Ciganda would have made the 36-hole cut by one shot. 

Shortly after the incident, Ciganda took to Instagram to provide a statement on the controversy, criticizing the LPGA officials for their “poor performance.”

“I got a few messages about the DQ from yesterday. 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. 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 wrote. 

The five-time European Solheim Cup team member has been penalized for slow play in the past, hence her reference of the officials’ tendency to “pick on the same players.” 

In 2021 at the Hope LPGA Match Play, a slow-play penalty cost Ciganda one of her matches on the final hole. 

The 33-year-old has been steady in the majors this season. She finished T12 at the Chevron Championship, T3 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and T20 at last month’s U.S. Women’s Open. Ciganda shot 74 in her opening round at the Evian Championship and 72 (without the penalty) before she was disqualified.