Carla Bernat (-10) has made a giant leap in the Epson Tour rankings after finishing second in the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa, which was played this weekend at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in California. The Castellón player has risen to sixth in the rankings, meaning she is firmly in the fight for LPGA Tour cards. Remember that the Epson awards 15 top-division cards at the end of the season: positions 1 to 10 are full, and the other five are conditional. Bernat is already where she wanted to be.
However, most importantly Bernat has already found her cruising speed on the Epson. She has played four tournaments and made the cut in all of them. She finished 37th in the first, followed by 31st, and her last two appearances resulted in a fourth and a second place. An absolute upward trend. The 2025 ANWA champion is already showing the credentials of a fantastic golfer.
In this upward run she is showing, Carla has already tasted the lead in an Epson tournament. She did so this weekend, specifically after the first round last Friday. She carded a 66 and shared the honour with the Swede Anna Nordfors. She lost ground with a 71 on the second day, but staged a wonderful recovery on the final day with another sub-70 score (69).
Bernat’s final round has its own story. From the 9th hole she lost the possibility of using her hybrid. It broke after she hit it onto the green. It is not just any club. It was her favourite and one of the heroes of her victory in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It died in the line of duty. Immediately after the accident, Carla’s reaction, as if paying it a tribute, was stellar. She strung together five birdies in seven holes and threw herself right back into the battle to win the tournament.
She moved to one shot behind Amari Avery (-11) and, in truth, she was not far from forcing a playoff. At the 16th she putted for eagle from a reasonable distance and came up just short. At 17, another birdie chance that fell three fingers short, and at 18, again, a birdie opportunity of about seven metres that did not drop. Playing the 18th was when she realised she was second. On the doorstep of her first victory. It is only a matter of time before it arrives.
Amari Avery’s triumph, meanwhile, is historic. She is the first African-American woman to win a tournament in the history of the Epson Tour. In addition, she has also moved to the top of the circuit’s rankings. The Huelva native Teresa Toscano also took part in the event, but missed the cut after the second round.
As things stand, Carla Bernat’s season is already underway. She is already closing in on her first Epson victory and, certainly, has become one of the clear favourites for promotion
