By Sara Kellum Photo by Getty Images
GILBERT, Ariz. — Arizona State University alum Carlota Ciganda climbed the leaderboard on a blustery Moving Day at Seville Golf and Country Club, carding a near-flawless, 6-under 66 on day three of the Ford Championship presented by KCC, a round that saw her make one bogey, three birdies and two eagles.
The Spaniard began the day in a tie for 22nd at 9-under and parred her opening four holes before making her first eagle of the round on the par-5 5th to get to 11-under overall. She picked up a birdie on the par-4 7th hole to move to 12-under total, parring holes eight and nine to ultimately turn in 33.
Ciganda then made pars on holes 10, 11 and 12 before picking up her second birdie of the day on the par-4 13th hole, dropping a shot on No. 14 to slip back to 12-under. After parring 15, the LPGA Tour winner hit her tee shot to 12 feet on the par-4 16th hole, cleaning up her resulting eagle putt to move to 14-under overall with two holes to play.
She parred the 17th and eked in one last birdie on the par-5 18th hole to post a 6-under 66, her lowest round on the LPGA Tour since day three of the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship, when Ciganda recorded a 9-under 63 at Tiburón Golf Club. It also propelled her into a share of the 54-hole lead alongside Hyo Joo Kim and Sarah Schmelzel, the fourth time in her career she’s been in the lead or co-lead after the third round.
“Very happy with the 6-under today. It was a very tricky day. The wind is really strong,” said Ciganda. “Lots of side winds, and it’s just hard. I think if you can hit greens, it’s good shots. There are some holes that are playing downhill, and you can take advantage, as well as the par 5s. I made two eagles, which really helped me today in my round. Very happy to be right there.”
In addition to being a former ASU Sun Devil, Ciganda is also a Phoenix resident, possessing plenty of local knowledge about desert golf that she’s capitalized on so far this week in Gilbert, Ariz. But playing in this kind of 20-mph wind? That’s something that the 33-year-old doesn’t do often, as the sticks usually stay in the garage when conditions aren’t ideal in this area. However, growing up in Northern Spain, a place that sees these types of high-level winds at different points in the year, has her more than prepared to tackle the challenge that awaits her in the final round.
“I’ve been here for six years, and it can get windy in the afternoons, but today it’s a little extreme,” Ciganda said. “When it’s very windy or not a good day, I don’t practice much here because we have so many nice days. (But) I’m from the north of Spain, and I have four seasons there, so it can get really cold, it can get windy, it can get anything. So, I think I’m ready to play in any condition, and I like when it’s challenging.”
Ciganda will be working to track down her third career LPGA Tour victory on Sunday at Seville Golf and Country Club, a win that would be the veteran’s first since the CitiBanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Aeromexico and Delta in 2016. But more wind and potential inclement weather threaten the final round, elements that Ciganda knows will require plenty of patience as she battles both the field and the conditions in an effort to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour in nearly 2,700 days.
“I think tomorrow is going to be back to low scoring,” said Ciganda. “I think the weather is not great in the morning, but it’s going to be okay in the afternoon, not as much wind. I think you still need to get to probably 21-, 22-under to win. After shooting an 8-under and 6-under, I think it’s a course that suits my eye. With the par 5s, I’ve been playing very good, so hopeful.”
