Former Arizona golfer Haley Moore cried after the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic on Sunday.
Not because she fell out of contention at the event at Sewailo Golf Club. Rather, it was for her “best friend” and former UA teammate, Gigi Stoll, who earned her first professional victory.
Stoll shot a 4-under-par 68 in Sunday’s final round to finish at 14 under and win the third annual Epson Tour event in Tucson. The Epson Tour is the LPGA Tour’s official qualifying and developmental arm for up-and-coming pros.
Stoll and Moore were teammates when the Wildcats won the 2018 NCAA women’s golf championship. They hugged Sunday, right after Stoll sunk a putt of about 6 feet to clinch the title. Moore helped to douse the newly crowned champ with water.
“I’m a little bit in shock right now honestly,” Stoll said. “I had a really good day today. I started off extremely strong. I birdied the first two holes, and my momentum was there the whole day.
“I just tried to keep it together and keep really cool, and I’m really proud of myself for just finishing strong.”
Stoll and Moore both got to visit campus while back in Tucson this week; then, come the tournament itself, it was like old times with the event being played on the UA program’s former home course.
“It was so awesome to be back here,” Moore said. “I just love the U of A and I love coming back here — great memories, and I’m just so proud of Gigi.
“We’re best friends, and I’m just so happy for her.”
Stoll turned pro in 2018 and Moore in 2019. As Stoll received her $30,000 check, Moore was right there snapping photos with her phone.
Former UA teammates Gigi Stoll, left, and Haley Moore embrace after Stoll’s first career professional victory in the Epson Tour’s Casino Del Sol Classic this week in Tucson. The duo were paired together for Sunday’s final round, with Stoll pulling away for the win at Sewailo Golf Club.
“Haley and I, we go way back,” Stoll said. “We’re really good friends. We bonded a lot in college, and to have her out there supporting me and playing against me (at) the same time, it’s really good to have that familiar face and that encouragement.”
Moore and Stoll were tied for the lead after Friday’s second round, with Stoll taking a one-shot lead after 54 holes entering Sunday. Stoll had five birdies and one bogey on the front nine Sunday to build her lead up to as many as four strokes.
After a couple of bogeys, though, Natasha Andrea Oon tied it up. Oon, a first-year pro from San Jose State, shot a 6-under-par 66 Sunday to finish the tournament at 13 under.
Thanks to a birdie on 17, Stoll’s second on the back nine after bogeys on 13 and 15, she regained the lead. She clinched the win with a par on the 18th hole.
She said definitely knew what was going on with the leaderboard.
“I knew I had to get something going on 17, hopefully birdie and not have to do something crazy on 18 but just to get in there and finish strong,” Stoll said. “That’s all I could ask for.”
Stoll’s best previous finishes in 2023 were tied for 22 and tied for 36th.
Moore fell off the pace Sunday, shooting a 4-over-par 76 to finish at 5 under for the four-day tournament.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and this week was her week,” Moore said. “I was glad to be a part of it the last two rounds.”
Moore finished tied for 13th after she started Sunday with three bogeys and one double bogey through the first seven holes. She recovered to get a couple of birdies and just one bogey through the final 10 holes.
“I played some good golf this week besides today,” Moore said. “It’s not my best stuff to start off with, but I’m very happy and I can take it to the next event and the whole rest of the year.”
Stoll said that being as familiar with the course as they both are served the former Wildcats well.
“Knowing this golf course pretty much better than anybody else — maybe Haley knows it better than me — but to be able to execute this golf course the way that I wanted to this week and to know the shots I needed to hit and where I needed to be,” Stoll said, “I think that’s a huge advantage out here. ... Just to be able to execute this week was fantastic.”
Chip shots
Former Wildcats Bianca Pagdanganan and Therese Warner also competed, but both missed the cut. Pagdanganan was also on the national championship team.
The first two champions of the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, Ruixin Liu and Andrea Lee, both reached the LPGA Tour.
Former Arizona Wildcat Gigi Stoll discusses her third-round performance in the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, where she has the lead (courtesy of Epson Tour)
