The LPGA Tour faced a little bit of controversy this week as Carlota Ciganda was disqualified from the Evian Championship on Friday after signing and turning in an incorrect scorecard.
The issue arose when Carlota Ciganda was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play as a result of the pace-of-play rules. Ciganda appealed the decision, but the penalty was upheld. However, when she still did not include the two-stroke penalty on her scorecard when she turned it in, she was disqualified from the tournament.
The LPGA Tour addressed the situation in the following statement to Sports Illustrated:
“Group 14, who started on No. 10 at 8:27 a.m., received a warning on No. 7 after being out of position. The group failed to make up time through the seventh hole, therefore the group was timed starting on No. 8. On the ninth hole, Carlota Ciganda’s shot times prompted a two-stroke penalty per the LPGA Tour’s Pace of Play Policy. Ciganda was allowed an appeal with the advance and lead rules officials before returning her scorecard, which was heard and denied. Therefore, a two-stroke penalty was upheld.
“Ciganda opted not to add the two-stroke penalty to her signed scorecard. She was told that leaving the official recording area with a signed score lower (without the penalty strokes) would lead to disqualification, and left on her own accord.
“Rule 3.3b(3) states that if a returned score is lower than the actual score, the player is disqualified from the competition. The exception to this Rule does not apply because Ciganda was aware of the penalty strokes received and upheld before signing her scorecard and leaving the recording area.”
It’s a pretty brutal end to her run through a major championship, but rules are rules.
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