The first one in the bag. Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio (-4) claimed victory on Tuesday at the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate, a university tournament held on the North course at Ridgelea Country Club in Texas, marking the end of her autumn season in the NCAA. A grand finale.
The Madrid golfer has opened her record in the United States and has undoubtedly lifted a weight off her shoulders, as she was eager to achieve that first victory. She had to wait until her second season at Texas A&M University, although she has come close on other occasions. Last year, for instance, she achieved no less than six top 20 finishes, and her match play record is the best in percentage in the team’s history (four wins and one loss).
Cata triumphed in a very tough week in terms of playing conditions. The wind blew strongly, and she had to show her grit, a hallmark of this golfer. She delivered three scorecards of 71, 70, and 68 strokes. Only she and Celine Chen managed to get through the week without playing a single round over par.
The key to her victory was in the final round when the pressure was at its highest. Cata knew how to endure and finished with an extraordinary two-under-par in the last five holes, with three birdies and a solitary bogey. This final surge allowed her to win by two strokes over Vanessa Borovilos, a teammate, and Macy Pate, a player from Wake Forest.
In the interview following the victory, Cayetana acknowledged that she hadn’t been playing very well in recent weeks and thanked the help she received from her sister Blanca, who last week qualified for the LPGA Tour School Final. “It’s funny because I had been playing quite poorly in the last tournaments, but last week she gave me a very good tip for my swing and gave me a lot of confidence. The next thing was winning this trophy,” she stated. Additionally, Cata has no problem picking up the gauntlet. “I’m coming for you,” she joked when asked about the number of victories Blanca achieved at Texas A&M. “I think it was three… I still have two and a half years,” the Madrid native said with a smile.
Cata was the tip of the iceberg of a great performance by the Armada in this last autumn tournament. Carolina López Chacarra (-1) finished in fourth place with three rounds of 70, 72, and 70, while Marta López (PAR) ended in sixth place with three scorecards of 72, 70, and 71.
As for the team classification, Wake Forest took the victory with a two-stroke advantage over Texas A&M.
