Who Is Carlota Ciganda's Caddie?

Carlota Ciganda (right) and Alvaro Prada (left)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 9 August 2023

Spanish golfer Carlota Ciganda turned pro in 2012 and is one of the most experienced players on the LPGA Tour.

She earned her first win in 2016, claiming the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship and won her second soon after at the CitiBanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The 33-year-old has played in five Solheim Cups, while also playing at both the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She also came very close to winning her first Major in 2022, claiming a T3 finish at the 2022 Evian Championship.

Ciganda currently entrusts her bag to caddie Alvaro Prada, who interestingly had his first experience of caddying when he was 12-years-old, carrying the bag for Jose 'Pepin' Rivero during a pro-am event.

He admitted to the LPGA Tour's Professional Caddie Association that the profession "never crossed my mind then that caddying would be my future job."

Carlota Ciganda (right) and her caddie Alvaro Prada (left)

Prada, who hails from Bembibre in north west Spain, has worked for several golfers throughout his career.

He notably spent several years working for Gaby Lopez, partnering with her at the 2020 Olympics.

He first got into caddying through a friend, after he had been playing in a golf tournament.

"I was playing a golf tournament where a friend of mine who caddies was also playing," he said, recounting the story to the LPGA Tour Caddies Association.

"He was coming back from a trip, and I asked him how it was. The following week I was working in a tournament."

Before Prada picked up the bag for Ciganda, she had also partnered with American Caddie Hall of Famer Terry McNamara, who had been on Annika Sorenstam's bag for several years, helping the Swede win multiple Major championships.

McNamara was on the bag when Ciganda won her first LPGA Tour title at the 2016 KEB HanaBank Championship.

Since then, she has swapped to use Prada as her caddie, with the Spaniard helping her claim a T3 finish at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June, 2023.

When asked why he enjoys caddying so much, Prada, who claimed his favorite course is Valdarama, said: "The competition and the daily work. Being able to be with the best in the world is a unique experience."

TOPICS

Ed has been playing golf for as long as he can remember and is obsessive about the sport. He is regularly sought after by family members and friends for advice on what equipment to buy and uses his background, having written extensively on golf in the past, to produce equipment orientated content for Golf Monthly.

Having obtained a Masters in Law with Medicine from the University of Liverpool, Ed has recently changed paths into journalism and just last year achieved his NCTJ Sports Journalism Diploma with the Press Association.

He has written for a variety of media outlets over the years and has interviewed some big names in sport, including Premier League managers, All Blacks Coaches and Grand Slam tennis superstars. He has also worked on some huge sporting events, including the 2021 Australian Open and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And when he's not writing for Golf Monthly, you'll find him producing news and feature articles for the MailOnline's sports desk, where he covers everything from football to rugby union.

During his weekends off, you'll likely find Ed heading out for a round at one of his local golf clubs with his friends, and was, up until recently, a member at the Leatherhead Golf Club in Surrey. Ed also plays the saxophone, can tell you some pretty terrible dad jokes and can knock up a very tasty carbonara!

Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter