Carlota Ciganda DQ’d at Amundi Evian after refusing slow-play penalty

Carlota Ciganda was disqualified after the second round of the Amundi Evian Championship because she would not accept a slow-play penalty.

Ciganda signed for a 1-over 72 on Friday, without the two-shot penalty. Thus, she signed an incorrect scorecard and was DQ’d.

The group of Ciganda, Anna Nordqvist and Celine Herbin began their second round on the 10^th hole at Evian Resort Club. At the seventh, their 16^th, they were told that they were out of position. One hole later, they were put on the clock. When an official deemed that Ciganda took too long on the ninth hole, her last of the day, she was docked two shots.

Full-field scores from the Amundi Evian Championship

Ciganda appealed the penalty, but it was upheld. She then exited the scoring area, after signing her incorrect card, and was subsequently disqualified.

The LPGA said in a statement, “Rule 3.3b(3) states that if a returned score is lower than the actual score, the player is disqualified from the competition. The exception to this Rule does not apply because Ciganda was aware of the penalty strokes received and upheld before signing her scorecard and leaving the recording area.”

After opening in 74, Ciganda had gotten back under par for the championship on Friday until making a quadruple-bogey-8 at the par-4 fifth. She also bogeyed the par-5 seventh. The projected cut line was 4 over par and Ciganda would have been on that number without the penalty, but two removed with it.

This is not the first time the Spaniard has been penalized for slow play. At the 2021 Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play, Ciganda birdied the final hole of her match against Sarah Schmelzel to seemingly win. But officials told Ciganda after the match that she had been assessed a slow-play penalty on the 18^th, turning that into a loss of hole and a victory for Schmelzel.