Carlota Ciganda of Spain, who last year made history in Dubai by becoming the first player since Laura Davies to win the LET’s order of merit and leading rookie awards in the same year, put herself in the perfect position to claim another slice of history as the grabbed the outright lead in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on Thursday morning.
Ciganda carded a second round of two-under-par round of 70 on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club in unseasonably hot conditions, with temperatures of 30C and increasing winds making the greens lightning fast.
After a 45 minute delay to the start of the round due to early morning fog, Ciganda opened with a birdie on the 10th and dropped shots on 11 and 16 before holing a long birdie putt on 17.
She then holed “the best putt I have ever made” from around 25 metres on the iconic par-5 18th played over a lake protecting the green.
She came back with two bogeys on the second and fifth against two birdies on the fourth and ninth – where she holed a four metre putt to post the target at seven-under-par.
However, Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum was making a run at six-under-par after three birdies against a bogey in her first seven holes and Stacy Lewis of the USA was also making a steady assault with three birdies in her first seven today.
Mireia Prat was tied for the lead with Ciganda after a birdie on 13, but took a double bogey on the treacherous 18th after hitting her ball into the water with her third shot, slipping back to four-under-par alongside Pernilla Lindberg of Sweden.
Scotland’s Vikki Laing was one of the early starters and the next best in the clubhouse after Ciganda on three-under-par after a 70. Laing’s game is in the ascendancy and she is looking for a return to the podium after she struggled with wrist injuries last year.
