Carlota Ciganda DQ'd at Evian after penalty, refusal to sign card

Spain's Carlota Ciganda was disqualified from the Evian Championship on Friday after arguing a slow-play penalty and refusing to sign her score card.

Ciganda, 33, lost her appeal of the two-stroke penalty incurred on her final hole of the second round in Evian-les-Bains, France.

She carded a round of 1-over 72 but left the scoring tent without signing her card, prompting the disqualification.

The two-stroke penalty would have moved her to 6 over for the tournament, outside of the cut line at 4 over.

Ciganda had been playing in a group with Anna Nordqvist and Celine Herbin in Friday's difficult, windy conditions.

The group started the round on the back nine. By the time the group reached No. 7, they received a warning for being out of position.

An LPGA spokesperson said after failing to pick up the pace at No. 7, the group was timed starting at No. 8.

"On the ninth hole [the group's last hole of the day after starting on No. 10], Carlota Ciganda's shot times prompted a two-stroke penalty per the LPGA Tour's Pace of Play Policy," the spokesperson said in a statement, per Golf Digest.

"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."

Ciganda entered the Evian Championship in good form, having finished in the top 25 in each of her previous five starts. That included a T3 at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship last month. She also had a T3 at this tournament last year.