The accent gives her away. The endless smile, too. Teresa Toscano is Andalusian through and through. “When I can, I’ll have a house in the south, in Huelva, Cádiz or Málaga, or better yet, one in each place, I like that more,” she says with a laugh, one of many that pepper the conversation.
This 27-year-old from Huelva, who cut her teeth on the golf course at Bellavista, Aljaraque, and now trains at La Monacilla, has just secured her card for the Ladies European Tour at the School for the second consecutive year. In 2025, she will once again have playing rights on the Epson Tour and the LET. It’s time to get organised. “The clubs are already stored away for a few days in the thinking corner, let them mull over what they’ve done this year, and now it’s my turn for office work. I still have no clear idea how I’m going to tackle the next year with the two tours. I have to think it over a lot,” she confesses.
In 2024, she already experienced the same situation of having both cards and learned a few things. She is clear that she will play on both sides of the pond, but knows she needs to plan a bit better. “Phew, this year I’ve been crazy from side to side. There were days when I hardly knew where I was. In the United States, I had two houses where I could stay, I call them my American grandparents, one in Las Vegas and another in Florida, and I also had a place in Ohio, at Kent State University, where my coach from my university days in South Dakota works and with whom I continue to practice. I was always lugging my suitcase around. I’d like to find something in 2025 that serves as my base, where I can keep my things. That’s a goal,” she states.
As for competition, Teresa will start the year on the Ladies European Tour. There are three tournaments before the Epson season kicks off: Magical Kenya Open, Aramco Saudi Ladies International (it’s not certain she’ll get in), and Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. Although she’s very attracted to the European schedule, the idea is to focus more on the Epson, mainly because the gateway to the LPGA is wider. The top 15 in the ranking at the end of the season get the card, and the top 35 go directly to the School Final. Meanwhile, through the LET, the closest you can get to the LPGA is by finishing in the top 10 of the ranking, which would give access to the School Final. Perhaps it’s time for the LET to directly provide some cards for the LPGA, as happens with the men.
The truth is, Teresa’s experience this year alternating between the two tours has been very positive. She played 23 tournaments, fifteen on the Epson and eight on the LET, made 17 cuts, and achieved three top 10s. She really came very close to rounding off a great season. “The results have been good, many low rounds, but I’ve missed that little bit, that little extra to complete a full week, finish higher and be closer to that top 15. I’ve played very well, I just missed maintaining consistency, but I know it’s all mental and I’m already working on it,” she states.
On the mental side, Teresa works on her own, with that overwhelming happiness she exudes, although she doesn’t hesitate to give much credit to two people who have been fundamental in her life recently: Fátima Fernández Cano and María Parra. “They are my pillars and my friends, and talking to them helps me a lot. I’m very grateful to them,” she emphasises. The big goal is to follow in Fátima’s footsteps, who this year secured the LPGA card through the Epson ranking.
That little extra Teresa was looking for was found during the LET School week, where she finished fifth. It was five rounds, all under par. That’s solidity and consistency. And that’s what she intends to maintain in 2025.
If Teresa has shown anything throughout her life, it’s an extraordinary ability to adapt, almost chameleon-like. Only in this way can one understand how a lover of the south went to study in South Dakota, the deepest America with biting cold. The most different from Huelva. “I remember one day all records were broken, and we reached -60 degrees Celsius. But, well, the usual average was -30. Very cold,” she says, laughing. She went from training as a child with Miguel Sánchez in Bellavista and later with Víctor Fernández in La Monacilla, with about 350 days of sunshine a year, to spending the entire winter and beyond hitting balls on an indoor range. Not only did she adapt well, but she also felt very comfortable there. She broke almost all the university records, with nine titles and the best stroke average in its history. In fact, her coach, Casey VanDamme, continues to advise her on her swing whenever she needs it. Between him and Víctor Fernández, they watch over her game.
Teresa will continue to carry the name of Huelva around the world in 2025, from one end of the globe to the other. She is the only professional from Huelva on top-level tours. “It’s a pride, and what I want is to keep climbing to put Huelva higher and in more places,” she assures.
There will be time for all that. Now it’s time to rest, spend time with family and friends, enjoy every minute of her Costa de la Luz, and take long walks with Tango and Rufo, a Dalmatian who also wanted to express his opinion during the interview, and a water dog. And, of course, to meditate, it’s also time to meditate to organise the year and always keep that little extra.
