History has repeated itself at the 2024 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, as a playoff was needed to decide a champion for the second year in a row at the Country Club of Winter Haven. Agathe Laisne had the honor of hoisting the first trophy of the year in 2023 after winning in a playoff, and now Valery Plata is walking away on top of the 2024 Race for the Card standings after outlasting Ana Belac in extra holes.
The former Michigan State Spartan and 2020 Big Ten Player of the Year had a mostly clean scorecard, recording four birdies and a double bogey during Sunday’s final round to post a 2-under 70 and finish at 8-under overall. She also birdied both extra holes against runner-up Belac, who made birdie on the 54th hole to get to 8-under and force the playoff. Plata knew she had to stay consistent for the last 18 holes to capture her first professional victory, and that thinking certainly paid off at the conclusion of the final round.
“Starting the day, I knew I had to play well, like I've been playing the last couple of days. I just kind of focusing on my own thing, trying to make good swings and hit good shots,” said Plata. “I played pretty well throughout the day. A couple of mistakes here and there but a couple of bounce-backs as well, so it was kind of an up-and-down round.
“It's the second playoff in my life ever. I played once before when I was maybe 11 or 12. So it's been a couple of years. And again, I think I just try to do the same thing. Stayed focused on hitting my shots and my targets and made the best decisions to try to make as few shots as possible.”
It’s not often a champion on the Epson Tour has more career starts on the LPGA Tour than the qualifying tour, but Plata falls into that category. When the 22-year-old teed it up at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic this week, it was only the third time she has ever played in an Epson Tour event. In fact, Plata has more than four times the amount of starts on the LPGA Tour, even playing some Tour tournaments as an amateur.
The Michigan State University alumna had a decorated amateur career, and it seemed like it was going to translate immediately to the professional scene. Plata earned her LPGA Tour card in her first appearance at 2022 LPGA Q-Series, ultimately finishing in a tie for third, and she was well on her way to a great start to her professional career. However, her rookie season did not go as planned, as she only made one cut in 13 starts and found herself back at LPGA Q-Series in 2023. But now, the Colombian can say she is an Epson Tour champion and is already well on her way to rejoining her peers on the LPGA Tour in a full-time capacity.
“I think it just shows that the lessons I learned from last year and the things I've been working on this offseason are paying off,” said Plata. “I learned a lot from myself last year, from life as a pro. It was my first year, too, so it was good experience. I'm just kind of taking it as a positive and a thing on my path that was meant to happen.”
)
)
)
)
