Blanca Fernández is a good student. At least, one of those who are appreciated at home. She hasn’t needed a coffee container or a pair of bags under her eyes to finish her homework. Because that’s what she did at the Aramco China Championship: finish her homework ahead of time.
The Spanish golfer finished the tournament this Saturday with a scorecard of 70 strokes and made it into the final top 20 of the leaderboard. With this, she jumps in the Ladies European Tour ranking from 67th to 62nd place, which effectively guarantees her presence among the top 70 at the end of the year and, by extension, her belonging to category 4, which allows her to play everything in 2026. Let’s not forget that Blanca came from the School with quite precarious playing rights. This is a great success.
Obviously, it cannot yet be said that she has mathematically managed to finish among the top 70, as there is still the Open de España and things can happen. However, statistically, it can be taken for granted. It seems almost inconceivable to think that she could be surpassed by nine different players in the last tournament, especially considering that the grand final event in Guadalhorce has no cut, so Blanca herself will also add something. She didn’t have to study on the last day to pass the exam. Outstanding.
Blanca achieved it, moreover, when the pressure was at its highest. She didn’t start the third and final round of the tournament at Mission Hills, on the World Cup course, in the best way. After her 10th hole, she was +1 on the day, positioned around 40th place on the leaderboard. That didn’t resolve anything. She was adding, which is not insignificant, but she was leaving work for Málaga. However, she finished the tournament like a cannon. She made four birdies in the last eight holes and catapulted herself to 18th place. Sensational. Perhaps the best thing for Blanca is that next year she will be able to organise her schedule as she pleases, without having to worry until the last minute about whether she will get into the tournaments.
As for the other two Spanish players who made the cut, it wasn’t the dream final round. Luna Sobrón (-5) played over par (74) and finished in the middle of the table, far from the positions that would have allowed her to get closer to the top 10 of the LET ranking. It was even worse for Marta Sanz (+1). She scored 76 strokes and finished at the back of the table. The Madrid native remains in 100th place and will only be able to save her card if she is invited to the Open de España and wins the tournament, the same situation as María Hernández, who missed the cut on Friday.
Beyond the Spanish players, an important victory for Ruixin Liu (-16). It is the first major triumph of her career. She had achieved seven victories on the Epson Tour, but had not yet debuted on one of the two major circuits. She does so a few days before turning 27. We will have to keep a close eye on her evolution now. Someone who wins seven times on the Epson obviously knows how to win and can compete at the highest level. Until now, the first division had been a kind of wall. Once overcome, let’s see what happens… Winning and doing so while playing in the final match with Ruoning Yin, the great Chinese star, must be a boost to her confidence. She won with a three-stroke advantage over Chiara Tamburlini, Liqi Zeng, and Qianhui Lin.
In the team competition that ended on Friday, the victory went to the squad led by Mimi Rhodes.
