It turned out to be a wise decision as Fierro made it through Stage II of LPGA Qualifying School not long after, but she then hit a bit of a snag at LPGA Q-Series. While she did advance to the second week of play in Lower Alabama, Fierro failed to finish inside the top 45 and ties after the eight rounds of competition, a result that would have secured her LPGA Tour status for the 2023 season.

Despite the disappointment, Fierro was determined to make the most of the Epson Tour status she did manage to earn via Q-School, and she did just that last season, exceeding maybe even her own expectations as a 2023 rookie on the LPGA’s official qualifying tour.

Fierro got off to a slow start, missing three cuts in her first five events on the Epson Tour and only making $2,999 in earnings from March to late April. But she finally picked up her first top-five result in May, tying for second at the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes, and then quieted down again, only recording two top-15 finishes in her next 11 events.

But as the end of the season loomed large, Fierro finally found her footing, punching the gas coming down the stretch with an LPGA Tour card well within reach.

She recorded three straight top-10 results at the Black Desert Resort Championship presented by Marcella (T8), the Guardian Championship (T3) and the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by Pepsico (T4) before claiming her first professional victory at the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic, the penultimate event of the 2023 Epson Tour season. The then 22-year-old posted a three-day total of 13-under to defeat Laura Wearn by two shots in Tuscaloosa, Ala., taking home a $30,000 first-place prize that bumped her season earnings up to $97,504 and moved her inside the Race for the Card Top 10 with just one event to play to earn a coveted LPGA Tour card for 2024.

The Epson Tour Championship saw Fierro continue her solid streak as she carded rounds of 72-67-67-65 to record a 72-hole total of 17-under and finish in a tie for eighth, a good enough performance that helped her cross the $100,000 mark in season earnings and finish ninth in the Race for the Card, ultimately locking up LPGA Tour membership for the 2024 season.

It was the perfect ending to a whirlwind two years for Fierro, and with some time to reflect on accomplishing her lifelong dreams so quickly as a professional golfer, she still cannot believe how much things have changed in such a short amount of time.

Isabella Fierro Enjoying Being “All In” as a 2024 LPGA Tour Rookie

Meet 2023 Epson Tour Graduate Isabella Fierro

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