Now with full membership on the LPGA, Maja Stark is seeking her second win.
Maja Stark, who became a first-time winner on the LPGA in August, is playing her first event as a member of LPGA at the AmazingCre Portland Classic this week.
Come Sunday, she might be hoisting a trophy for a second time in her young professional career.
Stark opened 69-67 at Columbia Edgewater and was tied for fourth, a solid start for someone still finding confidence at the highest level.
“It’s very satisfying to know that I can do it and wasn’t just a fluke that I played well last time,” she said after her round which included an eagle, five birdies but also two bogeys. “I felt like I was struggling out there today, and then coming in with a minus-5, I’m over the moon that can it feel so bad but then end up working out.”
Comfortably making the cut could make for a little easier breathing over the final 36 holes.
“I’m just excited about maybe my mental state being a bit better this weekend,” the 22-year-old said.
At the top of the leaderboard is 23-year-old Esther Henseleit of Germany and 24-year-old American Lilia Vu. Both got to 10 under Friday and will sleep on a one-stroke lead.
Henseleit’s position atop the leaderboard may be a little bit of a surprise. She has 10 missed cuts in 18 starts this season. Her best finish is a tie for 12th, and that was back in March.
But Friday, Henseleit made nine birdies during a 13-hole stretch, including five in a row on her back nine, to shoot a 64, tying for low round of the week so far.
Vu backed up her opening-round 68 with a 66 on Friday. She has four top-10s this season including a solo third at the Bank of Hope Match Play.
Carlota Ciganda is solo third at 9 under. Ciganda has three top-5s this season including a tie for third in the Amundi Evian Championship.
Andrea Lee, who is tied for fourth with Stark along with four others, also shot a 64 on Friday.
Local knowledge appears to continue to pay dividends for Caroline Inglis, a member at Columbia Edgewater. On Friday, she made a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th hole.
HOLE-IN-ONE for Columbia Edgewater Country Club member, @InglisCaroline! đ
“I like hit it kind of like, not very good, like it was like thin. I was like, okay, it’ll bounce up. That’s fine. It took a really big first bounce and just like went in,” she said. Inglis lives just down the road from the course and plays it often with her husband.
“I was so shocked like that it actually happened at my home course on a hole that I played so many times. I was like, oh, my God. Like in a tournament. Because I’ve had, this is my sixth one, but only ever had one other in a tournament but it was in college.
Some rules violations hit harder than others, while others just make you scratch your head.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all on the golf course, something else comes along to baffle fans, players, and rules officials alike.
The rules of golf can come up and bite you (pun intended: see fire ants below), if you’re not paying attention. Other times, weird things just happen. Further still, sometimes golfers simply don’t know a particular rule.
New rules of golf were rolled out on Jan. 1, 2019, but most of what trips golfers up continues to be of the tried-and-true variety.
As we get set to close out the year that was 2021, here’s a rundown of some of the memorable moments that involved rules violations.
Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio, Beth Ann Nichols, Adam Schupak and Adam Woodard contributed to this article.
Pajaree Anannarukarn, Gemma Dryburgh and Carlota Ciganda sit atop the leaderboard after the first round.
The Oregon Golf Club in West Linn, Oregon, is hosting the LPGA Tour this week for the Cambia Portland Classic.
Pajaree Anannarukarn, Gemma Dryburgh and Carlota Ciganda are tied atop the leaderboard after the first round.
Anannarukarn played a nearly flawless round with just one bogey on the card, offset by five birdies for an opening 4-under 68.
Dryburgh had a more up-and-down day compared to her fellow co-leaders. She carded three bogeys, but those were erased with five birdies and an eagle. The big bird came on the par 4 7th.
Ciganda made a boatload of birdies during her round today (seven), but they were neutralized by a bogey on two and a double on 14.
World No. 2 Jin Young Yo is just one shot back, sitting at 3 under. United States Solheim Cupper Jennifer Kupcho struggled throughout the day, ending her round with a 1-over 73.
After play concluded at the AIG Women’s British Open, the six automatic qualifiers for Team Europe were confirmed.
Anna Nordqvist’s victory at the AIG Women’s British Open vaulted her to No. 16 in the world and into one of six automatic qualifying spots for Team Europe. The 2021 Solheim Cup, staged Sept. 4-6 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, will be captained once again by Catriona Matthew.
On Sunday after play concluded at Carnoustie, the six automatic qualifiers for Team Europe were confirmed. Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen topped Europe’s points standings. She was one of Annika Sorenstam’s captain’s picks in 2017.
Georgia Hall moved into the second position on the points list with her share of second place at Carnoustie.
Sophia Popov, Charley Hull and Carlota Ciganda join Nordqvist in earning their spots off the Rolex Rankings.
Matthew’s six captain’s picks will be announced at 3:30 a.m. ET Monday.
Here’s a closer look at the first six qualifiers on Team Europe.
Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda hold the clubhouse lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with their self-described âCâ games.
Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda hold the clubhouse lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with their self-described âCâ games.
While some partnerships were thrown together at the last minute, Reid and Ciganda have known each other more than half their lives. Reid was 14 and Ciganda was 12 when they first met playing golf around Europe. They were first Junior Solheim Cup teammates and then partners in the grown-up Solheim, too. The two friends often share Airbnbs on tour.
âWe were always kind of close growing up because she was like European No. 1 and I was basically trying to catch up with her,â said Reid. â⌠we used to have fun the last nights of tournaments. I used to get her in trouble, which I’m sure people are very shocked by that.â
The aggressive Reid and Ciganda shot 6-under 64 in Thursdayâs fourball format, putting them at 10 under for the tournament and one shot ahead of Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang.
âI think the key is we feel ourselves,â said Ciganda. âI can be Carlota, she can be Mel, and we just play and we have no issues, no pressure. We just hit it, find it, hit it again, and at the end of the day we have a score.â
Reid went so far as to say that she actually enjoys it when Ciganda, known as âChiggy,â hits a bad shot because it makes her feel human.
âIf she hits it in the trees, I quite like seeing that shot,â said Reid. âI think that’s what makes us a pretty good team and a strong chemistry.â
Ciganda said it was her roommate in college, Guilia Molinaro, who gave her the name âChiggyâ or âChig.â The Italian pronounced her last name âChiganda.â
Ko and Kang, two other longtime friends known as âSisters from Another Misterâ this week, had a lot of laughs and a lot of celebratory shimmies in their second-round 63.
âThe last hole putt was my highlight because I never wanted to make a putt more for Lydia in my life than that last hole because I kept missing,â said Kang. âI was like, I have to make this: âLydia, it’s good!â She had my back today. I asked her if her back hurts from carrying me all day.â
When asked about the origin of the shimmies, Ko said all the cool ideas come from Kang.
âWe tried to come up with a handshake,â said Kang, âbut it seems really natural. When she makes a birdie, I just want her to be happy and excited.â
Four teams are in the clubhouse at 8 under including Lexi Thompson/Nasa Hataoka, Eun-Hee Ji/Hyo Koo Kim, Alison Lee/Lindsey Weaver and Brittany Lincicome/Brittany Lang.
âI think golf needs more events like this,” said Thompson.
This isn’t the first slow-play stunner of the LPGA season.
Carlota Ciganda and Sarah Schmelzel were all square coming into the 18th hole of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play event on Wednesday. Ciganda won the hole but lost the match due to a slow-play penalty that resulted in loss of hole. Schmelzel won, 1 up.
The LPGA released the following statement:
“On the 18th hole of her Day One match, Carlota Ciganda was assessed a loss-of-hole penalty for a breach of the LPGAâs Match Play Pace of Play Policy. Per the policy, a player is subject to penalty if she exceeds the allotted time for her total strokes taken on a hole by more than 10 seconds, averaging 30 seconds per shot. Ciganda exceeded the allotted time for the number of strokes taken on the 18th hole.”
The @lpga not messing about with slow play this week, Carlota Ciganda wins the 18th hole to win the match against Sarah Schmelzel but is then penalised for slow play. Penalty is loss of hole, Schmelzel wins the match. @LPGAMatchPlay
This isnât the first slow-play stunner of the LPGA season. Yealimi Noh tied for 61st at the Kia Classic and took home a $4,247 paycheck. But she actually lost money on the week after a $10,000 slow-play fine.
Noh said a rules official showed up mid-way through the front nine and hung around for nine holes. The rookie received bad times on Nos. 10 and 12.
This weekâs event at Shadow Creek is the first match play tournament on the LPGA schedule since 2017. Nine years ago at the Sybase Match Play Championship, Morgan Pressel was hit with a slow-play penalty in a semifinal match against Azahara Munoz that cut her lead from 3 holes to 1 hole with six to play.
The semifinal round took an even more awkward twist when Pressel accused Munoz of touching the line of her putt with her putter on the 15th hole. Rules officials determined that the video footage was inconclusive and, after a lengthy delay, Munoz rolled in her birdie putt to win the hole and square the match,
Pressel maintained that Munoz, who went on to win Sybase title, was the one who put them on the clock.
âI think that what bothers me the most is that we were given sufficient warning, and she really didn’t do anything to speed up,â Pressel said at the time. âAnd then I was penalized for it.â
While Saudi Arabiaâs discriminatory laws against women have relaxed in recent years it remains one of the most gender-segregated countries.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. â European Solheim Cup stars Carlota Ciganda, Georgia Hall and Charley Hull plan to tee it up next month in back-to-back events in Saudi Arabia. The first womenâs golf events ever held in the Kingdom will take place from Nov. 12-19 at Royal Greens Golf Club on the Red Sea Coast near Jeddah. The two events will have a combined purse of $1.5 million.
Ciganda, who tied for third on Sunday at the KPMG Womenâs PGA, said sheâll go home to Spain for the first time since Christmas after this monthâs LPGA Drive On Championship, a new event in Georgia, and then and take the six-hour flight over to Saudi Arabia.
Top male players drew criticism for teeing it up in the menâs Saudi event in 2019 and 2020, particularly in the wake of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggiâs murder.
Dustin Johnson, who ultimately won the inaugural event, said, âItâs my job to play golf.â Justin Rose, who competed in 2019 but not in 2020, added, âIâm not a politician, Iâm a pro golfer.â
While some of Saudi Arabiaâs discriminatory laws against women have relaxed in recent years â women can now drive cars and travel abroad without permission from their male guardian â it remains one of the most gender-segregated countries in the world.
âObviously we are going there and going to stay at a nice resort, and weâre not going to see much of Saudi, how the life is,â said Ciganda. âI donât like to get into politics and all that. Iâm just going to play a golf tournament, go there and try to win it.â
Mel Reid, a six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour who recently notched her first LPGA title at the ShopRite, said she doesnât feel comfortable playing in Saudi Arabia but holds nothing against those who do. Two years ago, Reid publicly stated that she is gay and announced her role as an ambassador for Athlete Ally, an organization with a mission to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Saudi Arabia.
âI donât think it would be morally correct if I played,â said Reid. âI donât agree with a lot of the culture. Itâs not something I want to be around, not something I want to risk.â
Laura Davies made the cut at the KPMG but isnât sure when sheâll compete again. She isnât keen on playing with all the COVID-19 restrictions in place. As for Saudi, she has no issue with the LET hosting events in the Kingdom.
âIâd rather go that theyâre trying to make changes than theyâre just using us, type of thing,â said Davies. âYouâve got to make the first step. I think the women playing in Saudi Arabia can only be a good thing, and a lot of people might disagree with that.â
Hall, the 2018 AIG Womenâs British Open winner, said sheâs going to help showcase the Ladies European Tour. When asked if she thought the events would help facilitate change in regard to womenâs equality in the region, Hall said âI think that itâs great that we have a womenâs event, and I mean, I canât really say on that, Iâm not sure.â
A longstanding system lacking human rights
Young Saudis, including three women wearing the traditional niqab and black abayas, relax on the Corniche waterfront in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government, under Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, appeared to be phasing in an ongoing series of reforms to both diversify the Saudi economy and to liberalize its society. Saudi Arabia is among the most conservative countries in the world and women have traditionally had much fewer rights than men. But some feel the addition of sports events like two upcoming women’s events, are simply an attempt to whitewash the country’s image. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The male guardian system in Saudi Arabia means that legally, from birth until death, a woman must rely on a man â usually a father or a husband â to make certain decisions or approvals on her behalf.
For example, a woman canât get married without permission, explained Adam Coogle, Human Rights Watch Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, who spoke with Golfweek by phone from Jordan. Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that investigates and reports on abuses happening worldwide.
A woman must also receive approval to live on her own, Coogle went on to say. If sheâs in a shelter or imprisoned, she wonât be released until her male guardian agrees to receive her, which in some cases might not happen.
Several of the courageous women who fought for the right to drive automobiles have been imprisoned since 2018. Players should be concerned about whether or not they are participating in a whitewash effort, said Coogle, given that these government-backed events are designed to improve the countryâs image.
âThe real story is that political repression in the country has never been worse,â said Coogle, who encouraged those who do go to speak out and call for the release of womenâs rights advocates who are still imprisoned.
Change through sport, or is it?
A student (R) and instructor practice driving at the Jeddah Advanced Driving School at King Abdulaziz University the day after women are once again allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia on June 25, 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
There wonât be any fans at the Saudi events due to COVID-19 restrictions. Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, said in a statement that both events would be broadcast live across the country in what will be âa watershed momentâ for young Saudis.
There wonât be any Saudi pros or amateurs competing in the professional fields next month either because to this point, there arenât any that are up to tour standard.
Golf Saudi aims to introduce more than 100,000 children to golf through schools programs by 2025 as well as create 300 corporate golf experiences and 100 urban golf activations. By 2040, the goal is to have one Saudi national member on the menâs and womenâs European Tours as well as team representation in the Olympics.
Itâs an aggressive sporting plan that does nothing to address the basic freedoms Saudi women lack. Englandâs Meghan MacLaren, a two-time winner on the LET, told The Telegraph back in January that she wouldnât tee it up in Saudi Arabia due to concerns over the country âsportswashingâ its human rights record.
âIâve decided not to play based on what I think sport is being used to do in Saudi Arabia,â MacLaren told The Telegraph. âItâs far more complicated than any one individual, so itâs a personal decision and not something I would push onto anyone else. But based on the research of organizations like Amnesty International, I couldnât be comfortable being part of that process.â
Putting players in a tough position
A view of the 18th green during the pro-am event prior to Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club on January 29, 2020 in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Playing opportunities have been exceedingly rare on the LET in 2020, making an offer from Saudi Arabia apparently too good for the tour to pass up. The LET halted play in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in August with back-to-back events in Scotland that were largely filled with LPGA players, followed by tournaments in the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
There are four events remaining on the schedule for 2020, including the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic, Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana, and the two events in Saudi Arabia.
The $1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International will be the third highest-paying event on the LET schedule. Former No. 1 Stacy Lewis, who won the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open in August, said it’s unfortunate that players are put in this situation to begin with.
âThatâs the world that weâre in right now,â she said. âHow do you turn down $1.5 million? Thatâs the call that the LET has to make. Do I turn down $1.5 million, or do I give the girls an opportunity to play, knowing itâs not really right that they should have to make that call.â
On a crisp, breezy to gusty, sun-splashed day outside of Philly, Gaby Lopez and Carlota Ciganda posted took the early clubhouse lead at KPMG
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. â The week before the LPGA restarted its season, Gaby Lopez tested negative for COVID-19 and made the trip to Toledo, Ohio. Days later, she became the first player on the LPGA to test positive for the virus. Lopez suffered from dry throat and fatigue.
Carlota Ciganda came into Toledo six weeks removed from her own bout with the coronavirus, in which she tested positive for five consecutive weeks. The Spaniard spiked a fever, battled headaches, fatigue and weight loss. Her memory wasnât great either.
As the world continues to fight through a global pandemic, these two players in particular donât take for granted what it means to be competing in this weekâs KPMG Womenâs PGA Championship. On a crisp, breezy to gusty, sun-splashed day outside of Philly, Lopez and Ciganda posted 2-under 68s to take the early clubhouse lead with Swedenâs Linnea Strom.
There are no fans on property. Charlotte Thomas withdrew from the field earlier this week after her caddie tested positive for COVID-19. She’s in the midst of a 14-day quarantine; her caddie’s will last 10 days.
Historic Aronimink Golf Club, a Donald Ross design, didnât play as long as it did in practice rounds due in part to a shift in the wind and a slight decrease in yardage. It’s still stout though, with three-shot par 5s and par 3s that have even Ciganda hitting 4- and 5-irons.
âI think you just have to be patient,â said Ciganda,â otherwise this course is going to eat you.â
Lopez won the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions back in January, which seems like a lifetime ago given all that has transpired since then. The 166-day break the LPGA endured wasnât so bad, she said, given all that she had to work on.
A neck injury late last year brought on by overuse required a cortisone shot and rest. When she got back to work, she started shanking the ball as she worked on shallowing out her swing. Needless to say, the victory in January came as quite the surprise.
âItâs whenever you least expect it,â she said,â whatever youâre grateful with. The fact that I was healthy, that I was swinging the club again, to me, thatâs the biggest blessing.â
The COVID-19 quarantine in July and August took Lopez away from the game for two weeks. She came back trying to press to make up for lost time, finishing T-59 in three straight events.
A pair of top-30 finishes in the last two weeks showed an upward trend.
Ciganda, like Lopez a two-time winner on the LPGA, comes into the week inspired by the victorious play of compatriot Sergio Garcia.
With the 10th hole tee up a bit, an aggressive Ciganda could catch the hill with her drive, leaving 9-iron into the green. In Wednesdayâs practice round, she hit 5-iron.
A similar story played out on the 15th hole, which played downwind. On Thursday, Ciganda hit 7-iron from the rough onto the green and made birdie, noting that she wouldâve hit 9- or 8-iron had she found the fairway. In the practice rounds, she hit 4-iron to a back pin.
Inbee Park still hit 3-wood into the 10th hole from 205 into a cross-wind but managed to make birdie and felt like she picked up a couple strokes on the field.
The seven-time major winner didnât sound too optimistic after the practice rounds but praised the way the PGA of America set up the course for Round 1.
âYeah, I mean, the course still played long but not stupidly long like we played in the practice round,â said Park, who opened with a 70, âbecause a lot of tees were moved up and the wind direction was different. A lot of the long holes we were playing downwind or cross wind, not into the wind. It was playing perfectly today.â
Park predicted that Thursdayâs round would be the easiest of the week. If the wind stays up, any number under par is a job well done.
Due to Sundayâs telecast ending at 2 p.m. ET, the leaders wonât be the last group off in the final round. Park said sheâs OK with that.
âIf I’m in contention,â said Park, âI would love to play in the morning because I don’t want any more thoughts getting into my mind.â
Carlota Ciganda decided to get tested for COVID-19 and it came back positive. She isolated in her apartment and has since recovered.
Six weeks ago Carlota Cigandaâs muscles started to ache. She also spiked a fever and battled headaches. The Spanish player decided to get tested for COVID-19 and it came back positive. She isolated in her apartment in Arizona and continued to test positive.
âI did the quarantine two weeks; came back positive,â she said. âI wait another week, positive. And I think my fourth one, so yeah, a month, came back negative.â
Cigandaâs ordeal was first reported in the Spanish media. By the time she arrived in Toledo, Ohio, she was feeling good. Understandably, Ciganda chose to keep her mask on when met with the media at Inverness after an opening 2-under 70. Sheâs four back of leader Danielle Kang. Ciganda, a two-time winer on the LPGA, is currently No. 16 in the world.
âAfter 10 days I was feeling fine,â she said. âJust a little annoyed that I couldn’t really practice much or do much, because obviously it’s a horrible feeling knowing you can spread the virus to someone else.â
Ciganda was tested twice by the LPGA before she was allowed to tee it up in Fridayâs opening round. In all, a total of 466 pre-travel and onsite COVID-19 saliva tests were given to players and caddies before todayâs restart. Three tests came back positive: Marina Alex, Gaby Lopez and one caddie.
âI think I should have antibodies for at least a couple months,â said Ciganda, âbut to be honest, I don’t know. I didn’t even get that test done, so I don’t know if I have them. I hope I have some, so that way will be tougher to get it again.
âI’m still very careful keeping the distance. I’ve been washing my hands all the time and just not going anywhere. Just from here to the hotel, getting some food. You have to be careful, especially to keep everyone healthy and to keep playing.â
An extended break and a new caddie looks like a solid combination so far for Carlota Ciganda, one shot off the lead the Gainbridge LPGA.
BOCA RATON, Fla. â When Carlota Ciganda went home to Spain for the offseason, she left her clubs back in Arizona. Itâs the first time the 29-year-old has traveled so light, but the extended break left her feeling refreshed coming into her first tournament of the season.
Ciganda carded a second-round 66 to get to 9-under 135 and trail leader Madelene Sagstrom by one stroke at the new Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.
âI didnât think I was going to be ready for this tournament,â said Ciganda, âbut sometimes when you donât have many expectations, you play your best.â
Ciganda, a two-time winner on the LPGA, said she kept in shape over the holidays by playing paddle tennis. She picked up her clubs again two weeks ago.
Her 2019 season included eight top-10 finishes and a $1 million bonus for winning the first Aon Risk Reward Challenge. She finished 15th on the money list with $998,654.
“I think when you are near the top so many times you get tired mentally,” she said. “I just needed that rest to feel fresh again.”
The 2020 season already looks different for Ciganda in that she has a new face on the bag in Jonny Scott, a veteran caddie who recently worked for Lydia Ko. Ciganda spent four years with Terry McNamara, Annika Sorenstamâs longtime caddie. Ciganda enjoyed her best years on tour with McNamara by her side.
âItâs been obviously really, really tough because I love Terry and weâve been playing great together,â she said. âI donât know how to explain it, just something that I felt. It was tough to say that to someone that you love, someone that it so close to you.â
