NAPLES, Fla. (AP) – Carlota Ciganda needed help with her putting going into the final event of the LPGA Tour season.
Being home in Spain had its advantages. Jose Maria Olazabal, the two-time Masters champion and wizard with the flat stick, was just a phone call away.
“He’s such an unbelievable golfer,” Ciganda said. “I called him and I was struggling with my putting. I was like, ‘Can you please give me a lesson?’ We stayed there like three hours on the putting green, just hitting putts. He told me a few things and it seems like it’s working. So I’m pretty happy. I have to thank him.”
Her thank-you note was five birdies – only one of them on a par 5 – in a round of 5-under 67 that gave Ciganda a share of the lead with Julieta Granada of Paraguay going into the weekend of the blustery CME Group Tour Championship.
They were at 7-under 137 in what was shaping up as a wild weekend at Tiburon Golf Club.