Let’s go back in time to 2023. It’s the Solheim Cup being hosted in Spain at Finca Cortesin for the first time, and the final day is down to one important match, with Carlota Ciganda playing against Nelly Korda. The score between Europe and the United States is 13-all, and the crowd chants, “Car-lo-ta Ci-gan-da, Car-lo-ta Ci-gan-da,” as she walks down the 17th, a 145-yard Par 3. She stuck a 7-iron tee shot to a yard, and her birdie putt sealed the victory over Korda, and Europe retained the cup. She threw her putter and thrust into the crowd as fans welcomed the legend and created one hell of a story. But this was not her first Solheim Cup, and neither her first moment of spotlight. So, who is Carlota Ciganda, a legendary golfer who has been a notable name in the women’s golfing circuit?

Carlota Ciganda: From child prodigy to a golfing legend

Carlota Ciganda Machienena, as her full name goes, was born in Pamplona, Spain, on June 1, 1990. She picked up golf at the age of 5, after her father, Jesus, influenced her to take up the sport. Ciganda took to the sport quite seriously, and her successful tenure during her amateur days was proof of her diligence and hard work. While her first win was the British Ladies Amateur in 2007, Ciganda played in several professional tournaments too, while still being an amateur.

She was quite a dominant force on the amateur circuit and even won the European Ladies Amateur Championship in 2004 and 2008. She was a member of Spain’s 2006 & 2008 Espirito Santo Trophy teams, and even took part in the European Junior Solheim Cup and European Junior Ryder Cup between 2004 & 2007.

Carlota Ciganda then pursued a Business Administration degree alongside her collegiate golf career from Arizona State University from 2008 to 2011. She then turned professional in 2011 and finished 2nd in her debut event, at the 2011 Tenerife Ladies Match Play, the same event she took part in 2005 as an amateur when she was just 14. She won her first title on the LET Access Series at the 2011 Murcia Ladies Open.

In 2012, she won her first title on the LET at the Deloitte Ladies Open, and followed it with another win later that year at the China Suzhou Taihu Open. Not only did she win the LET Rookie of the Year, but she also bagged the Player of the Year and finished atop the Order of Merit in 2012. Till now, she has 8 titles on the LET, with her last being in 2024 at the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open.

Being one of Europe’s best players, Ciganda has also played on the LPGA every year since 2012. She has two titles to her name on the LPGA Tour, both of which she won in the same year— the 2016 LPGA Hana Bank Championship and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. While she has also taken part in major events continuously since 2012, her best finishes were at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, 2020 & 2023 Women’s PGA Championship, and the 2022 Evian Championship, all of which she finished 3rd. This year, she finished tied 9th at the Evian Championship, but missed the cut at Erin Hills at the U.S. Women’s Open. This season, her best finish was at the 2025 Mizuho Americas Open, where she finished tied 3rd and has had 3 other top-10 finishes this year.

Ciganda has also been a prominent name on the Solheim Cup, and has played every single one since 2013. She is definitely one of the best female Spanish golfers we have ever seen, and also represented Spain in the Olympics at Rio (2016), Tokyo (2020), and Paris (2024). While she is currently ranked 32nd on the World Rankings, she achieved her highest rank of 15 in 2018, a year in which she had nine top-10 finishes.

Ciganda has earned nearly $9.5 million in official prize money on the LPGA Tour and over €2 million on the LET. She even won the AON Risk Reward Challenge in 2019 and took home $1 million in prize money. But there’s more to the veteran golfer’s life than just the game.

Ciganda’s life beyond the golf course

Like every professional golfer, Ciganda’s life has been a tough one, but talent runs in the family. Her uncle, Jose Angel Ziganda, was a former soccer player and a prominent name in Spain. While she currently lives in Scottsdale, she misses spending time with her parents, Jesus and Maria, who live in a small village called Larráinzar, just 20 minutes north of Pamplona. While she doesn’t share much of her private life, Ciganda continues to stay connected to her roots and enjoys her time cooking Spanish dishes like Paella, croquettes, and red peppers. She also manages to find some time to play pickleball and enjoys reading when she’s not busy playing in tournaments. Ciganda can also speak in 4 different languages, a skill that we don’t see very often in this day and age.

She has also been in a long-term relationship with fiancé James Longman, and the duo started dating early in 2015. She often shares posts with him, as they are seen travelling and going on several adventures together. The two are set to get married in Spain later this year.

Ciganda is also a favourite among her fellow players and is very close to LPGA Tour pro Gaby Lopez. The two are often seen having each other’s backs during the Solheim Cup matches and even share a bond beyond the golf course. Ciganda has a personality, that make her likeable to most players on tour, as Golf Channel analysts Juli Inkster and Judy Rankin expressed during the 2023 Solheim Cup — “I do know she is the type of personality, and I think you’ve seen it as she played and as the crowd welcomed her and then as she won. She’s the kind of personality that can really love it, really enjoy it. She’s always super respectful of everybody she plays with. I mean, everybody loves her.”