Kate Smith Finishes Tied For Seventh At Epson Tour’s Carlisle Classic

Photo: Courtesy of Epson Tour Twitter

MESA, AZ (KDLM) – Detroit Lakes native Kate Smith competed in the second Epson Tour event of the season March 16-19, finishing tied for seventh place at last week’s Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.

Smith, who bounced back after missing the cut at the season’s opening event in Florida, finished at -12 (66-71-74-66) for the tournament, seven shots behind Gabi Ruffels (-18).

Smith was tied for first after Day One of the tournament with a -6 (66). Smith carded seven birdies on the day, including three straight to finish the front nine.

“I’ve been waiting for rounds like these for a few months now,” said Smith. “So it’s nice to know that what I’m working on is working. Why not build on it and trust it tomorrow? It’s a new day tomorrow, but it’s nice to know that my game is there, and I can shoot these types of scores at this golf course.”

Smith fell off the pace a bit on Day Two despite shooting a -1 71 to remain -7 for the tournament, two shots off the lead at -9. Day Three of the tournament saw Smith shoot a +2 73 to fall back to -5, trailing Ruffels by nine shots for the tournament lead.

Smith lowered her score back down to -11 for the tournament with an 8-under 66 on Day Four, finishing the tournament with a bogey-free round to end it.

“It felt great; there’s definitely some relief and a lot of joy. I had so much support out here from people from Minnesota all week,” Smith said after the tournament. “It was nice to play well in front of them and put together a solid tournament. It gives me a ton of confidence. We’re so early in the season, so it’s nice to get a good finish under my belt.”

Smith will now head to California for this weekend’s IOA Championship in Beaumont, which begins on Friday, March 24th.