Fatima Fernandez Cano is excited for the week ahead as she gets ready to tee it up in the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Tampa.
The Spaniard secured full status on the LET back in December after she finished in the top 20 at Lalla Aicha Q-School.
That result came just a few months after she had surgery and Cano finished in a tie for third place at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco just two weeks ago.
Having got herself back into contention in a professional tournament, the 28-year-old was pleased with her performance in Morocco.
“It was really cool; I had no expectations,” she said. “Coming back from the injury, I’m still in a way trying to get back out here and get the experience back. I haven’t played tournaments in a very long time, and I felt that when I went to Kenya that it was very different.
“I had no expectations in Morocco, I just wanted to get back out and play and get into the thing of playing 18 holes and tournaments. It was a lot of fun. I hadn’t been in that situation of seeing my name on the leaderboard in two years, so that was cool.
“I had a great time, I had a blast and tried to keep pushing to see if we could get it done. Unfortunately, I couldn’t but it was a great time and a great experience.”
Cano started the week with a 74 but followed it up with back-to-back rounds of 68 in Rabat. The Spanish player admits she was worried she would be a little bit nervous in the final round, but gained momentum after a hole-out eagle and was fired up.
She explained: “It was great. I saw myself in a tie for fourth going into the final round and I walked into the range to warm up for the final round and I thought I wasn’t planning on this.
“I hope I don’t get too nervous where it hurts my confidence, but I told myself to keep my foot on the gas, do your thing. I wanted to put it in play off the tee and get after the flag.
“I got off to a slow start in the last round but then I holed out for eagle, and I made a bunch of bridies and all of a sudden, I saw my name. I thought that would make me nervous but what it did was fuel me to keep going.”
Cano is teeing it up in an Aramco Team Series event for the first time and is looking forward to playing at Feather Sound Country Club.
The Spaniard is based in Alabama, so it wasn’t too far to travel, and she’s hoping for a relaxed week in the Sunshine State.
“It’s really cool, I was really looking forward to playing an Aramco Team Series event just with the team atmosphere,” she added.
“I have never done anything like that in professional golf so I’m looking forward to it and seeing what it’s like. I’m comfortable here in the States because I spend most of my time and live here, it was an easy drive from Alabama. I am staying with some good friends here in Tampa and I’m hoping it’s a fun week.”
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