BELMONT – With six players tied for the lead and former champions looming, one shot looked to be the difference between the champion and the group watching the champion hoist the trophy at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
The only question was: Who would make the championship move?
The championship moment came from Carlota Ciganda on the 17th hole when her approach shot stuck just 3 feet from the hole. She tapped in for birdie and the lead, then birdied 18 to seal her first win in nine years on the LPGA Tour.
She shot 5-under on Sunday, June 15, at Blythefield Country Club, and was 16-under for the tournament, winning by one shot.
“It is amazing to win. The key was staying in my own bubble. I am very happy with a great finish,” Ciganda said. “It has been a long time. I won in 2016. I love playing golf and competing. I just try to control what I can control. I didn’t look at the leaderboard all week, but my caddie told me I was T-2 and I was able to hit a couple of birdies and had a great shot to tap in on 17. To birdie three of the last five holes and win by one is pretty special.”
While 17 was great for Ciganda, 35, it was a disaster for Hye-Jin Choi, who had to hit out of the trees to get back to the fairway. She had a chance to save par, but missed a short put to bogey, allowing Ciganda to surge into the lead alone with one hole remaining.
They both birdied 18, as Ciganda sunk a 4-foot putt to earn the victory and the $450,000 prize money.
“I was a little nervous (down the stretch), but that is normal. The process is key and believing in that and not thinking about the results or the leaderboard is (the most important thing,” Ciganda said. “I had birdies on 8-9-10, three in a row that got me into (contention). I just had to believe.”
The process worked for Choi, too, who finished one shot behind Ciganda for the day (4-under) and the tournament (15-under) – one ahead of Somi Lee (14-under). Lexi Thompson was tied for fourth at 13-under with Nana Koerstz Madsen and Celine Boutier.
“Overall it was a really good round for me. I had a chance to win this tournament but the bogey on 17 was the one I am still thinking about,” Choi said through a translator. “I had to think about my past tournaments where I didn’t play well in final rounds. This week, I tried to focus on the process not the results and was able to hit some good shots.”
Thompson was still in contention with two holes to go, but had an approach shot on 16 that rolled back down the hill and needed a 40-foot birdie putt on 17 to keep herself in it, down two shots, and played the putt well, but it ended up 3 feet short. She missed the par putt and bogeyed the hole, dropping her to three shots back and out of the race.
Thompson had three bogeys on the back nine.
Another family affair at Meijer LPGA Classic
Ciganda’s fiancé, Jamie Longman, was Thompson’s caddie at Blythefield this week, an interesting development with both players in the in the mix and taking the lead in the final round.
“Jamie is amazing. We have been together for 10 years. He helps me with everything in day-to-day life. I am very happy to have him by my side. I can’t wait until December.”
The couple has planned a December wedding in Spain.
Meanwhile, Ciganda also was happy to win on Father’s Day, a Meijer LPGA Classic tradition.
“It is amazing to win on Father’s Day. He has been a huge influence on me my entire life. I started playing golf because of him,” she said. “We still play together and he plays pretty much every day.”
Lead in constant motion with Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, six others taking turns
If it wasn’t enough that there were six players tied for the lead heading into the final round, even more crashed the party.
Brooke Henderson birdied six of her first eight holes to join the leaders at 11-under. But the two-time Meijer champion was 1-over the rest of the way and finished tied for 14th at 10-under.
Thompson birdied her third hole to take the outright lead at 12-under, then birdied the next to reach 13-under. Then Choi eagled the fourth hole to tie Thompson at 13-under.
Thompson moved to 14-under with a third birdie, while Choi and Somi Lee each birdied to pull even with Thompson at 14-under.
Choi birdied No. 12 to take the outright lead at 15-under.
Thompson birdied 14 and Ciganda birdied 15 to reach 14-under, one behind Choi. But Thompson’s 16 put her out of it and Ciganda’s 17 put her in the driver’s seat.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Carlota Ciganda uses late precision to claim Meijer LPGA Classic title
The article "Carlota Ciganda uses late precision to claim Meijer LPGA Classic title by one shot" was originally published on https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/sports/2025/06/15/carlota-ciganda-uses-late-precision-to-claim-meijer-lpga-classic-title/84056164007/
