Fátima Fernández almost capped off her fantastic week at the Symetra Tour with a victory. Just days after it was officially announced that…

Fátima Fernández nearly capped off her fantastic week on the Symetra Tour with a victory. Just days after it was officially announced that she had secured her LPGA card for next year, the Pro Spain Team golfer finished second at the Carolina Golf Classic. American Sophia Schubert denied her the win on the third playoff hole.

Fátima Fernández – who carded rounds of 66, 69, and 65 in the preceding rounds – reached the playoff after a thrilling final round in which Sophia Schubert (68), American amateur Emilia Migliaccio (66), and Canadian Brittany Marchand (67) all joined the race for the win. So much so that the latter two were waiting in the clubhouse at -17, while the Spaniard and Schubert secured the victory on the 18th hole with identical scores.

On that final hole, Fátima Fernández and Sophia Schubert each made birdies, leaving them alone at the top of the leaderboard with -18. The Galician player had survived a complicated final round thanks to that birdie and the one she made on the 15th. Thus, it was a playoff to fight for the victory in a head-to-head match.

The playoff, played entirely on the 18th hole (par 5), steadily increased in intensity. Both players made par on the first hole; birdie on the second; and on the third, Fátima Fernández made birdie again… but Sophia Schubert sank an eagle to secure her first victory on the tour.

It is worth remembering that Fatima Fernandez debuted her professional record with a convincing victory in the IOA Championship, also part of the Symetra Tour, back in August 2020, a year in which she obtained fantastic results.

Tenth place for Scott Fernández and Alejandro del Rey

Another highlight of the week was the Swiss Challenge, where Alejandro del Rey made history with his 58 (-14) on the second day. That stratospheric round was largely responsible for his remarkable final result: tenth with -18 overall, tied with Scott Fernández, who posted one of the best rounds of the final day (64).

Meanwhile, at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Sunday's news was mixed. Adrià Arnaus (-8) dropped out of the Top 10 after a lackluster final round, while Jorge Campillo (-9) climbed to 17th place thanks to a strong second half (69+67). The victory went to Englishman Danny Willett (-18).

A magnificent week for Eugenio López-Chacarra on the PGA Tour

Another highlight of the weekend was the magnificent performance of Eugenio López-Chacarra (-10) at the Sanderson Farms Championship, a PGA Tour event. The young amateur from Madrid made the cut first with two sensational opening rounds (69 and 68) and recovered in the final round from a third-round 74 with a surprising 67: six birdies in seven holes. His debut performance could hardly have been better.

Sergio Garcia, the other Spaniard in the race, missed the cut by one stroke.

Apart from the Estrella Damm Ladies Open and the Santander Golf Tour of La Coruña, which are fully covered on this website, as well as the Carolina Golf Classic, the week offered another attractive challenge in the women's field: the Shoprite LPGA Classic Championship, in which Luna Sobrón (-3) has occupied 50th place.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 27 – OCTOBER 3, 2021

European Tour

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (September 30 – October 3)

Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links (Scotland)

Full results

PGA Tour

Sanderson Farms Championship (September 30 – October 3)

Country Club of Jackson (Jackson, MS, USA)

Full results

Ladies European Tour

Estrella Damm Ladies Open (October 1-3)

Terramar Golf Club (Barcelona)