Over the course of a season, Laura Gonzalez Escallon (La Hulpe, Belgium) took thousands of swings. Count practice and it’s probably tens of thousands of swings. There was one that stands out and maybe propelled her to an LPGA Tour card and the Epson Rising Star Award, given annually to the player that shows the greatest improvement year-over-year.
It was July 23, the second round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, and Gonzalez Escallon was finishing up another sparkling round. She was behind the 18th green with her approach shot and was faced with a tricky pitch to a green sloping against her. In improbable fashion, she chipped in for birdie. We had the cameras rolling and the shot made ESPN Sportscenter’s Top 10 Players the next day. More importantly, she won the tournament, which got her an invitation to The Evian Championship, a major on the LPGA.
“Last year, I had a really rough end of the season so that was tough,” said Gonzalez Escallon. “I went home (in the offseason) and gathered all the strength I could and worked really hard this winter. I think it payed off. I got my first win and then felt really comfortable out there and really started having fun.”
The first win was the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, which moved her from 38th to 16th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. Gonzalez Escallon later won the PHC Classic in Milwaukee and also had the chance to play in The Evian Championship.
“In the beginning of the season, I was more nervous and just worried about my results,” admitted Gonzalez Escallon. “I let the results come when I was having fun.”
Gonzalez Escallon fought hard to make the cut in Evian, but it was more important that she witnessed the LPGA and truly feel in love.
“I’m most looking forward to all the traveling, they go everywhere,” said Gonzalez Escallon. “Playing against the best in the world is the best feeling ever. It’s going to take a lot of hard work this offseason, but I’m just looking forward to it.”
Even with her two wins, Gonzalez Escallon needed a clutch performance at the Epson Tour Championship because she was 11th on the money list. She got it with three rounds in the 60’s and a third place finish to move from 11th to fifth to earn a Tour card.
Gonzalez Escallon did not win in her first 40 tournaments on Tour between 2014 and 2015. She had eight total top 10’s over her first two seasons and had seven in 2016. Her improvement and the shot has her LPGA bound and the recipient of the Epson Rising Star Award.
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