When the final round started at the 2024 Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, around 15 players were truly in contention to win the tournament. Rookies, veterans, and past champions were all vying to take home the fifth trophy of the season in Tucson, Ariz. That number quickly dwindled once Madison Young found her groove midway through her front nine.
Young started her day tied for the lead, a position she has only been in once in her career. She settled her nerves early, making four straight pars to open her round. The next four holes for Young defined the outcome of the whole tournament. The 27-year-old played holes 5 through 8 in 6-under par, going birdie-eagle-birdie-eagle to open up a five-shot lead heading into the back nine.
A few early bogeys on the back nine from Young allowed a few players within three shots, but the tournament never felt like it would go any other direction than a Young victory. The wind started to pick up over the last few holes for the players still on the course, making birdies tough to come by for the rest of the field. The players who were within a few shots of Young faded away, joining the large group of players at 10-under for the tournament. As Young made her way to the 17th tee, she had a four-shot lead with just two holes to play. Adrenaline caused her to go long on No. 17, making for a tricky up and down to save par. Unfortunately for Young, a misjudged chip resulted in her making a double bogey. With a two-shot cushion heading into the last hole, she had to avoid the water on the right side of the fairway, and that was precisely what she did.
Knowing all she needed was a bogey to claim her first professional victory, Young bailed out left of the green, chipped on, and made a routine two-putt to take home the 2024 Casino Del Sol Golf Classic at 11-under. The leaderboard tells a different story than the course, with Young in control most of the day. The win jumped Young into the top 5 in the Race for the Card, the highest ranking in her career as she searches for her LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season.
"It's kind of like a did that just happen moment? But it feels pretty good," explained Young. "I've had a lot more low moments than high moments. Obviously, it's my first win. The best way I can describe staying positive and moving on from the bad is really just truly moving on. Like you have to forget. You have to have a short-term memory out here. And I was pretty bad at that my first two years and I really let old emotions linger. And even though I finished double bogey-bogey, I still got the job done and feel good about it."
A group of six players shared runner-up honors at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic. Dottie Ardina and Kaitlin Milligan both turned in 6-under rounds to jump 19 spots into a tie for second at 10-under. Joining the two at 10-under were Dewi Weber, Ssu-Chia Cheng, Pornanong Phatlum, and Cydney Clanton.
Next week, the Epson Tour heads to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic at TPC Scottsdale. The tournament boasts the largest purse of the season at $400,000 and a winner's check of $60,000.
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