This year’s Race for the Card is officially underway, and Isabella Fierro is taking full advantage. In the event’s first time as the Epson Tour season debut, the 2026 Atlantic Beach Classic could not be more different than last year, where only three women finished under par.
This weekend, however, in the gusty winds of northern Florida, the 25-year-old Fierro was able to convert her nerves into birdies all weekend, with a second-round 65 and a final round 5-under-67 propelling her to a victory in the season’s debut at Atlantic Beach Country Club.
“It’s definitely going to bring me a lot of confidence for starting the year, but definitely winning on this golf course, it’s just hard. And everybody played so well this week that I knew that I had to bring my A-game,” she added. “I’m blessed that it paid off.”
Fierro is no stranger to the grit of the Epson Tour. Finishing ninth on the money list in 2023 – a season that included her first professional win at the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic – the Mexican golfer is in the fight to secure LPGA membership once again after falling short two years ago.
“I had to stay focused, but also present, which in past years, has been a struggle for me. I’m just happy that mentally, I’m in a good place, and I just enjoyed every single shot today,” she said. “Feeling the adrenaline, feeling the nerves, this is what an athlete practices for, and this is how you want to feel. So, instead of avoiding that sensation, I just kind of let it pass, and man, it’s just the best sensation ever.”
In a Saturday effort that saw Fierro birdie six times, her tournament scorecard of 13-under tied the low 54-hole record. And while she finished four strokes ahead of a crowded leaderboard that included fellow Mexican golfer Maria Fassi, Fierro let the pride in her country mix with the adrenaline instead of any pressure from that top spot in the leaderboard.
“Everybody was playing well, and I was trying not to look at the leaderboard, but it was right in front of me. So I was, like, oh my God. Just staying present, having the right people around me, makes a whole difference.
“Having my mom this week with me, having family, just kind of seems like a lucky charm, so I’m just really happy and excited for what’s to come,” Fierro said.
Fassi had a bogey-free back nine to solidify a 7-under-65 on Saturday. Her T2 finish is her first time back in the top 10 since the Casella Golf Championship last July, adding momentum and confidence in her fight to regain her LPGA Tour card.
“It’s been a long time since I did that, so it just feels good to know that all the work that we put in with my team in the offseason is paying off,” Fassi said Saturday. “I’ve got a few things that I know I need to tidy if I want to stay in contention and hope to win out here.
“I was happy with where my swing is, but you never know until you put it under pressure when you’re competing. So, it was nice seeing my swing hold up, more so than anything.”
Americans Kaitlyn Pappe-Budde and Annabelle Pancake-Webb finished T2 alongside Fassi, the latter tying the course 18-hole low round with a 63 on Friday.
Finishing T7, Caitlin Peirce posted a 64 on Saturday, totaling eight birdies on the day, including four in the last five holes. This marks a career-best finish on the Epson Tour for the 23-year-old, who made one cut in three events last year before going on medical leave.
“I started opening birdies and kept giving myself chances, but I wasn’t making any putts on the front nine,” the Aussie said. “And then I sort of hit the back and kind of exploded.”
The Epson Tour introduced a local qualifier for the first time at the Atlantic Beach Classic, providing additional opportunities for women like Katherine Hollern, a former collegiate lacrosse player, who finished 3-over in her first Epson Tour event in three years.
The Race for the Card continues in the Sunshine State later this week at Alaqua Country Club outside of Orlando.
