The Carlisle Arizona Women’s Classic is the next stop for those on the Epson Tour competing in the West Coast swing. Amari Avery made history at last week’s kickoff to the Epson Tour’s West Coast swing, becoming the first Black woman to win in tour history. As the California native sits atop the Race for the Card just four tournaments into this year’s season, the competition is on her heels as the women head to TPC Scottsdale this week.
The Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale saw a career-shifting event last year, when Germany’s Sophia Popov clinched her first victory on the Epson Tour and her first professional win since her sole major title five years earlier at the AIG Women’s Open. This year marks the fifth running of the Classic but only the third at this course, so the women in the Race for the Card hope to show their own at the halfway point of the West Coast swing.
One of the players’ favorite parts of this tournament is the purse. At $400,000, this is the largest purse offered on the schedule, with the winner taking home $60,000.
Who to Watch at the 2026 Carlisle Arizona Women’s Classic
With the Epson Tour, there are always plenty of up-and-coming stars to watch. Here are just a few who will be competing in Arizona this week.
Valery Plata: Heating Up in the Desert
While the Colombian has remained relatively under the radar so far this season, Valery Plata hopes to hone in on her near-perfect final round from last year’s Carlisle Women’s Classic. Her solo-third finish at TPC Scottsdale was just one of two top-5 finishes for Plata, who rounded off the season on a high note with a T9 at Indian Wells in the Epson Tour Championship.
Currently sitting at No. 42 on the Race for the Card Points List, Plata has experience going low on a Sunday, which is how she clinched her first victory two years ago in a playoff against Slovenia’s Ana Belac at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Clariss Guce: Looking to End the Drought
Guce, who made her Epson Tour debut ten years ago, could potentially find the oasis of her career at TPC Scottsdale this week. The Filipina golfer has made the cut in each of her four appearances at this event, finishing last year at T22.
Her 1-under finish is not necessarily the truest indication of Guce’s performance that week, as she started off in arguably her career-best form with an opening round of 66. However, two double-bogeys on Saturday and a triple on Sunday, despite the relative birdie fest Guce was on, was just not enough. Her best finish at this event was two years ago, when she finished T13 at 6-under. A surge in the Grand Canyon State would mark Guce’s third career victory on the Epson Tour and her first since her rookie season.
Gile Bite Starkute: Bridging Arizona and the Baltic Sea
While countries like Sweden, Denmark and even Ireland are becoming new hot beds for developmental golf programs, not every nation in Europe has a professional golf win to their name. Enter Gile Bite Starkute, who made history as the first Lithuanian to turn pro in the sport, for either men or women, when she joined the Epson Tour last season.
In her rookie season, Starkute made the cut in over half her starts, including at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Classic. This event means even more for the Lithuanian as she competed collegiately at the University of Arizona before turning pro. She finished T37 at TPC Scottsdale last year, which included her then-best round to date: a 2-under 69 in the second round. A little less than two hours away from her alma mater, fans of Baltic golf have their eyes peeled for Starkute on the leaderboard this week.
Arizona State’s Own: Beth Coulter’s Epson Tour Debut
This week’s sponsor invites are Ireland’s Beth Coulter, a senior at Arizona State University, and University of Arizona golfer Julia Misemer, who are both making their Epson Tour debuts this week at TPC Scottsdale.
After playing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur twice and earning several top finishes for the Sun Devils, Coulter is excited to test her game against the pros this week. She plans to turn professional after she graduates this spring. Technically a local who has competed in these desert courses near Scottsdale plenty of times over her collegiate career, Coulter will have plenty of locals rooting for her.
Wildcat Welcome: Julia Misemer’s Epson Tour Debut
Julia Misemer, a senior at Arizona, comes into the Classic with one of the most impressive amateur resumes in her back pocket. Most recently, she qualified for the 125th U.S. Women’s Amateur in Bandon Dunes, her 10th appearance in an USGA championship event and 3rd time qualifying for the Women’s Amateur. She has clinched the NCAA Regionals in two of her four years with the Wildcats, including the individual runner-up at the Raleigh Regional her freshman year and a T14 finish at the Lubbock Regional in 2025. Her finish in Raleigh three years ago marked the best finish by a Wildcat since 2008.
Before ever stepping foot on campus in Tucson, Misemer already held great potential for an impressive career. At the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2022, she was the last to qualify for the event but then proceeded to defeat the No. 1 amateur to make the round of 32. Additionally, Misemer is no stranger to the professional scene, thanks in large part to her success on the USGA and junior circuits that led up to her appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in 2023.
