Carla Bernat Escuder closed with a bogey-free 8-under 64 — the low round of a weather-shortened final day — to win the 2026 Guardian Championship by two shots at 16-under 200, capturing the first professional title of her rookie Epson Tour season. Michelle Zhang finished runner-up at 14-under 202, and Kaleiya Romero, who had shared the 36-hole lead, closed with a 1-over 71 to finish third at 12-under 204.

Bernat Escuder entered the week in the mix but not among the outright leaders, sitting tied for fifth after 36 holes before catching fire on Sunday. She never finished a full 18 holes in one sitting all week, with rain and darkness suspending play in all three rounds, but closed the tournament by reeling off her third straight round in the 60s under difficult, stop-start conditions.

“It feels very good, very satisfying,” Bernat Escuder said of her first professional win. She said the pressure of chasing an LPGA Tour card down the stretch of her rookie season had weighed on her in recent months: “I've been pretty stressed the last few months just because I wanted to secure my card, and obviously the closer it got to the end, the harder it was... performing and not putting pressure on myself.” Asked what she did differently this week, she credited an unusual pregame ritual: “First thing, I deleted Instagram. Because I feel like whenever I look at Instagram, I normally don't do well because I start comparing myself to others.” She also pointed to a calmer mindset under pressure: “Under pressure, I was able to recognize that I was nervous and kind of like breathe in, breathe out. And maybe I was a little more cold-minded this week.”

Bernat Escuder, the 2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur champion, said she entered her rookie season believing a win was within reach: “At the beginning of the season I thought I was going to win, so I'm glad I did.” She credited her caddie, Bo, and his wife, who have supported her throughout the season after the pair met at a tournament in Grasslands, calling their support “like a miracle for me.” Reflecting on a week defined by repeated weather delays, she pointed to her mental toughness as what she was most proud of: “I think being able to kind of see the positive of all the weather and the delays... it's everything the same for every player, so I was just trying to take advantage of it.”

Carla Bernat Escuder Wins the 2026 Guardian Championship for Her First Professional Title

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