Fatima Fernandez Cano set a course and career low in the third round of the 2022 Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic with a 61.
Sunday, a steady 2-under 70 was enough to seal the deal at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, winning for the second time on the Epson Tour, the qualifying circuit known as the “Road to the LPGA”.
For the second day in a row, Fernandez Cano eagled the par-5 ninth hole. She collected three birdies but also had three bogeys Sunday but it was enough to hold off the field for a three-shot victory.
Laura Restrepo gave chase but could only manage an even-par 72 on the final day. A bogey on the last hole dropped her back into at three-way tie for second, along with Dani Holmqvist , who shot a final-round 66 to get to 14 under, and Sofia Garcia, who closed with a 68.
Kum-Kang Park, Lucy Li, Weiwei Zhang and Sophie Hausmann finished in a four-way tie for fifth at 13 under.
Defending champion Ruixin Liu could only manage a pair of even-par rounds of 72 over the weekend and finished tied for 19th. Liu has full-time status on the LPGA and said before the tournament that this would be her only Epson Tour event the season.
.@fatifcano
wins the 2022 @CarlisleAZWGC
#CarlisleGolfClassic | #EpsonTour | #Road2LPGA pic.twitter.com/sXIbUOXrH6
— Epson Tour (@EpsonTour) March 21, 2022
Fernandez Cano’s 11-under round Saturday was the best round of the week by three shots after Park closed with a 64 on Sunday.
Fernandez Cano, also a member of the LPGA, pockets $37,500 for the win.
The final round was suspended by inclement weather for almost an hour, as there were some lightning in the area.
This was the second event on the Epson Tour’s 2022 schedule. The circuit heads to Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Beaumont, California, later this week for the IOA Championship where Fernandez Cano is the defending champion.
In January, the LPGA announced a five-year deal with Epson to make the tech company the title sponsor. Now in its 42nd season, the Epson Tour will award LPGA membership to the top 10 players on the Race for the Card money list at the end of each season.