	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2017

July 14, 2017

Carlota Ciganda

Bedminster, New Jersey

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Welcome to the 2017 U.S. Women's Open Championship.

Very happy to welcome in Carlota Ciganda who has 3-under 1st Round, 1-under in her 2nd Round and is currently 4-under for the Championship.

Carlota, you had to come back out and finish just a few shots from your round last night and then turned around and played your 2nd Round.

Can you talk about the decision obviously to stop last night and coming out and playing all day this morning?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah. It's been a long 24 hours. Yesterday played late so I didn't finish 18 because I couldn't see so I just hit my second shot, my layup and decided to play this morning.

Then I mean it was fun to play in the morning. I thought it was going to be worse, little rain. More tough mentally to be there for such a long time and I'm just happy I'm done and I can rest for the weekend.

THE MODERATOR: I believe it.

Can you talk about the conditions of the course, you know, the course is obviously a little bit softer but you're also playing in the rain.

Can you talk about the conditions?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah. To be honest, I like playing in tough conditions. Where I play in Spain in the winter I am so used to playing in the rain and the course soft so I really like the course.

I think it's really good course, really good set-up and the course is playing soft, it's playing long so I think it's good for me because I hit the ball long. So, I'm happy, I'm happy with the result, just trying to stick to my plan with my caddy and yeah, happy to be here for two more days.

THE MODERATOR: Excellent. Thank you very much.

Q. Carlota, you're already in a much better spot now than you had been for the last two years. Can you talk a little bit about that, what's the difference this year?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I've been playing good. I feel I've been playing good the last few events and I think very happy with my caddy, Terry, and Jorge, he's doing a great job and I think with the strategy and the course and my goal, I think they are really good for my swing and my struggle on the course.

I think just trying to listen to them and try to learn from all the experience they have and I'm just having fun on the course. I love competing and playing golf and I'm very lucky to be here playing and very, very happy.

Q. Can we get your coach's name, please?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: Jorge Parada.

Q. Jorge, George, J-O-R or --
CARLOTA CIGANDA: It's J-O-R-G-E, yeah. Then Parada, P-A-R-A-D-A.

Q. How long have you been working with Jorge?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I've been working with him for two years now.

Q. What in general, I'm sure guys work on a lot of different things, what are the main things you guys have been working on?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: When I hit the ball long and used to hit sideways, left, right, so if I can -- if you can just control this a little bit. So, we've been just trying to shorten my backswing a little bit and then I mean he's telling me to do few exercises and mostly that, shorten my backswing.

THE MODERATOR: You are playing in your 6th U.S. Women's Open this week but you played in USGA Championships for even longer. You were a semifinalist at the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur.

What is it about the USGA course upset that you enjoy and is really the key in playing in the USGA Championship?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: I think the course we play this week is one of the toughest ones the whole year. We don't really play courses like this. Really enjoy playing tough conditions, tough weather because I think I am mentally tough so I like -- I really like all the challenge, all the very competitive.

So, the harder the better. I really like that.

Q. Your amateur career was so impressive. When did you feel like your professional career is starting to do the same kind of thing?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: This is my 6th year as a professional. I played two in Europe and this is my fourth on the LPGA, and my first years they were good but when I started with Terry and then Jorge, my coach, I think that was a little bit of change for good, improving and understanding more the game, how to play, how to compete out here.

So maybe -- I'm still learning. I feel like I don't know anything. I feel young. So, I think maybe last year, that's when I started to seeing the things more clear.

THE MODERATOR: One more question before we'll let you go and enjoy the dry rest of the afternoon in the hotel.

What did it mean earlier this year for you and for people in Spain when Sergio won the Masters?

Can you talk a little bit about that?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: It was unbelievable. Very, very happy for him because I know him and we are friends. I've been at his home course and practiced with him.

I went to the Masters a few years ago with him and his family so I was watching him win that event, it was just -- it was great.

It was really, really nice and I think the whole Spain was happy and I think he really deserved that because he's been so close so many times and he's such a good player. So, I think it was great.

THE MODERATOR: Does that inspire you as well coming into Majors like this?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah. I mean I love watching him play. I love watching Jon Rahm, all the Spanish athletes and Rafael Nadal in tennis. I watch anything, anyone that is out there winning I love it.

THE MODERATOR: You're off to a wonderful start here. Again, 4-under for the Championship through two rounds.

Carlota, thanks so much for joining us today and good luck this weekend.

CARLOTA CIGANDA: Thank you. Thank you very much.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297