After ending the 2022 season on a high, Roberta Liti is looking to accomplish more on brighter greens this season.
Liti capped off a great year in December by earning her LPGA Tour card for the 2023 season.
She recalled the emotions of the career-defining moment in Alabama.
"To wait for the last putt to drop to then know that you finally earned your card was just really special," Liti said. "It makes all the sacrifices that you've made your whole life worth it for that moment."
Her category 15 card will allow her to play many events on the LPGA Tour during the 2023 season and all those on the Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA.
Liti expressed her excitement to participate in LPGA tournaments.
"Everything is a little bit better out there," she said. "Just to be able to be part of it and compete with the best in the world, that's what I look forward to."
Playing on a bigger stage has sharpened her commitment to self-improvement.
" You just learn more about yourself; you learn what works for you, what doesn't, and how to do things better and improve a little bit every single day," she said.
Confidence will also be key to her success on tour.
"I think the big step with being on the LPGA is being aware of your own skills and being confident that you belong out there," Liti said. "Versus feeling like you're in a place where you don't belong."
This weekend Liti played in her second Epson Tour event of the year, the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic. She finished tied for 10th at 7-under, earning $6,719.
As an Arizona State golf alum, Liti looked forward to playing in a familiar environment.
"I'm competing around the people that were such a big part of my college career, and they are going to come out, and they're gonna watch," Liti said. "So it's just special to be here in Arizona playing at Longbow. I look forward to this event every year."
Coming back to Arizona also highlights a notable difference between the tours.
"I think the big difference is that players on the Epson Tour are younger, and they're just getting started," she said. "When you go out there on the LPGA, these people have done this for a while; they're very experienced players, they're very focused, and they know what they want."
As the season ramps up, Liti has two targets in mind.
"My goal is definitely to make top 100 on the LPGA and keep my card," Liti said. "The two-year goal would be to gain points to play in the Olympics in 2024."
As for the full circle moment this weekend, Liti appreciates how far she's come.
"It just shows me that, like most things in life, golf is a journey, and you just need to put the pieces of the puzzle together a little bit at a time," she said. "As long as my career is trending upwards, I know there are better things coming."
The next Epson Tour event will be the IOA Championship in Beaumont, California, from March 24-26. The next LPGA event will be the LPGA Drive On Championship in Gold Canyon, Arizona, from March 23-26.
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