Fatima Fernandez Cano was born and raised in Spain, and her nickname is Fati, pronounced “Fat-E,” and no she doesn’t take offense with the pronunciation.
The Spaniard recently planned a short trip home during one of her off weeks to take care of some paperwork with her visa and visit with family and friends. She didn’t foresee it taking longer than the week she had allocated in her busy schedule.
She shared with EpsonTour.com she was not going to get her passport back in time to adequately prepare for the event that was taking place in Milwaukee the following week.
All it took was for her mom to say ‘Hey, why don’t you stay an extra week?’ to make up her mind stay that extra week. She took full advantage of her time at home and did a little bit of everything; ate fantastic food, took a spin on her motorcycle and spent time at the beach.
Obviously channeling her inner Seve Ballesteros, she quipped “The ocean (our side of it) is something that I miss a lot here in the States! Something about the sound of it and the feel of it that makes me feel at home”.
Fernandez Cano said that one of the best moments was surprising her grandmother with a visit. You can see the video on her twitter account: @fatifcano.
The time at home was a blessing in disguise giving her an extra week to recharge and get ready for the final stretch on the Epson Tour.
“I always love to spend time with my friends, they make sure I come back with my batteries charged up with laughs and great times,” explained Fernandez Cano. “Spending almost two weeks at home was exactly what I needed! Despite not being able to practice a whole lot while I was there, I am very happy with the time I took off.”
While Fernandez Cano loves everything about golf from the competition to the traveling and visiting new places and meeting so many different people along the way she has had an up and down season and currently sits No. 40 in the Volvik Race for the Card standings.
She admits she’s ready for the final stretch.
“The beginning of the year was far from what I had wished of my rookie season, but I think I have found what works for me. We all know golf is very up and down, and I think that you can never get too comfortable even if you’re at the top,” said Fernandez Cano.
Fernandez Cano is feeling good about her game despite the scores not being where she wanted them to be at the beginning of the season. It took one good round during the Island Resort Championship to give her the confidence in her game to know she has what it takes to play at the next level.
In a perfect world Fernandez Cano will have a solid end to her rookie season and secure her LPGA Tour card for the 2019 season, but she knows she needs to focus on one shot and one event at a time.
“It’s all about trusting and believing in what I do,” said Fernandez Cano.