Experience reigned supreme during the final round in Scottsdale, Ariz. The field of 132 was cut down to 71 after Friday's round, and with conditions shifting on the weekend, Epson Tour veteran Ruixin Liu drew on all of her past experience to eventually come out on top and win her second career Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Championship by three shots.

Liu ended her week the same way she started it, signing for a 7-under 64 in round one and again in her final round. The rounds were similar as well, with Liu walking off No. 4 green 1-over before her game started to heat up. Following her bogey on the 4th hole during her final round, the 25-year-old made back-to-back birdies and finished her front nine eagle-birdie to turn 4-under on the day. Liu played the back nine bogey-free, rolling in three birdies, including a birdie on No. 18, which all but secured her first Epson Tour victory since 2021.

"It feels very special because I never won any events two times. And, you know, for me to win this before the U.S. Women's Open and to have the biggest purse ever in Epson Tour history, it just feels amazing," said Liu. "It is a big boost of confidence because I didn't have a great year last year on the LPGA, and you know, to be able to come back out here and just to win, I just feel very good about my game right now, you know, to shoot 64 seven-under twice in four days, it really means something."

The win at TPC Scottsdale – Champions Course is not only Liu's second win at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic but also the second course she has won the event on. She first won at Longbow Golf Club in a playoff over the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup champion, Rose Zhang. The win is her seventh career Epson Tour victory, her third victory in Arizona, and she had her dad on the bag for all seven of her wins. Liu also moves to No. 8 in the Race for the Card standings with one event left to play in the West Coast Stretch.

"We have such a good relationship on the course, and I trust him 100%, and he knows that," explained the seven-time Epson Tour winner. On the course, it's a great team, and I just feel 100% confident, mostly relaxed, and calm. That's very important for both of us."

Mariel Galdiano finished in solo second place, taking home over $37,000 and a lot of confidence. Despite not feeling like her game was trending in the right direction at the beginning of the West Coast stretch, the 25-year-old is happy with the way the stretch is ending. The Hawaiian carded three birdies and a lone bogey to sign for a final round 2-under 69 and a tournament total of 11-under.

"I feel like it was a long time coming. In Tucson, I felt like my game wasn't where it was. I knew a lot of better golfers out there," said Galdiano. "Same thing in Beaumont. I came off of playing a U.S. (Women's) Open qualifier, so I think I was pretty tired there. I'm happy to see where I am on the leaderboard."

Following the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic, the Epson Tour heads to Hurricane, Utah, for the Copper Rock Championship. The tournament begins on Thursday, May 16th and concludes on Saturday, May 18th.

QUICK QUOTES

Madison Young (-9, T5) on her hole-in-one and being in contention again:

"We saw it go in; it was 124 yards downwind. It's awesome. I jumped into my husband's arms, and he said that was the highest he'd ever seen me jump. So that was funny. Coming down the stretch, I made a couple of bogeys and some unfortunate bounces. But it was fun to contend for back-to-back weeks. It's exciting."

Kim Kaufman (-5, T18) on the atmosphere at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic:

"I told my caddie this week that you feel like you're at an LPGA event. Just the venue, the dining outside, that there are people on 18 watching you. The purse is huge, but the whole event has been elevated. So, I think we're all thankful. It's nice to have that environment. Playing twosomes on the weekend and a four-day event. This is as close to an LPGA event as I have seen on the tour, which is really cool."

Brigitte Thibault (-1, T37) on her 7-under final round and feeding off the good energy in her group with Alyaa Abdulghany:

"Just to finish on a good round, I feel like it's a course that you can score out here. The ball striking was pretty good all week. My putter was not hot, so it was nice to still get it going now. Just very solid and just really good vibes with her (Abdulghany). I love playing with her and we get our competition level higher too, because we're competitive but also really good people. It was just fun time and I love that."

IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE WITH RUIXIN LIU

Hometown/Resides: Guangdong, People’s Republic of China/Orlando, Florida

Age: 25

Qualified for the Epson Tour: Finished T67 at the 2016 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn Epson Tour status

Turned Professional: 2017

CATEGORY
2024 Race for the Card Place	8
2024 Race for the Card Points	507.00
2024 Epson Tour Wins	1
2024 Epson Tour Top 10s	1
2024 Season Earnings	$61,084
Career Epson Tour Wins	7
Career Epson Tour Top 10s	17
Epson Tour Career Money	$351,371
LPGA Tour Top 10s	3
LPGA Tour Career Money	$501,970

OF NOTE

The 2024 Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic is Liu’s second time winning the event
- She won the inaugural event in 2021
- Liu has won the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic at two separate venues
  - 2021: Longbow Golf Club, 2024: TPC Scottsdale - Champions Course
This is her seventh career Epson Tour victory and 17th top-10 finish
- Her last Epson Tour victory came at the 2021 Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
The 25-year-old has finished in the Race for the Card top 10 twice to earn LPGA Tour membership
- She finished No. 1 in 2018, collecting three victories and Player of the Year honors
- In 2021, she finished in No. 5 in the Race for the Card, winning twice
Liu has three career LPGA Tour top 10s
- Her most recent top-10 was a 7th place finish at the 2024 Blue Bay LPGA

Ruixin Liu Picks Up Her Seventh Epson Tour Victory at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic

Related Articles