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DIAMOND RESORTS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 17, 2019

Gaby Lopez

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Q. I'm here with Gaby Lopez. Off to a hot start here in the first round of 2019, a 69. How would you describe the round out there today?
GABY LOPEZ: You know, it was really fun. Playing with the guys, playing with celebrities, baseball players, NFL players, it's really fun. It's different, different format, but you get to know different people and how athletes actually can perform when they're playing golf.

So it was fun. I grew up playing with my brothers. So when I'm playing golf with men, it's always really fun.

Q. Were you familiar with the celebrities you got to play with, and did you get to pick their brain at all? What was it like?
GABY LOPEZ: No, I wasn't really familiar. I talked to my coach, and he was like a huge fan of them. He was like what do you mean? Are you really playing with them? It was just really fun. We talked about competition under pressure. I think everything is very similar. I think baseball is golf, it's different, but sometimes we're all playing kind of the same game.

Q. Was it hard for you getting that win late in the season, now you're trying to keep that momentum going and you have this huge break? How do you keep it rolling like you have here today?
GABY LOPEZ: I think you have to practice like you play. You've got to be very focused when you're practicing every shot out there. And playing competitive golf, like I said, practicing with my brothers, practicing with my coach, just mix it up a little bit just not to lose that sense of competition and grinding it out. I think it's all golf at the end of the day.

Q. Just off to a really good start with the 69, just a couple bogeys. How did it feel out there?
GABY LOPEZ: It was fun. I think a little bit rusty in some of the decision-making after a long break, but I think it was a good start to kick off the season. I don't know, I'm very, very excited to play again this format. It's really fun to play with the guys. It has a different feeling. You're playing from the same tee. So at the end of the day, we kind of all play the same game. Playing with baseball players was fun. I enjoyed it.

Q. So it wasn't awkward in any way? You had fun with these guys?
GABY LOPEZ: No, it wasn't awkward. It was just like playing with my brothers, like I said. My brothers hit it a mile, and these guys, they can hit it a mile but everywhere. At the same time, it's fun to see them grinding and making putts. Under pressure, we're all kind of playing the same game. So I'm happy and real excited to play the weekend. We'll see how it goes. The weather is perfect, so hope it holds.

Q. Anything stand out about the round today for you?
GABY LOPEZ: Anything stand out? I think the fact that they're really, really nice people. Like you feel that sometimes they're heroes and people see them like they're unbeatable. They're just like one of us, and it's really fun to get to know them a little bit more under pressure, closer to the game, and I guess just getting comfortable with what you've got.

Q. And how about coming into this year after breaking through the win last year? How do you adjust your goals and the way you approach the year because of the win?
GABY LOPEZ: Great. I think I have to not reset my goals, but just put the bar higher. Just got to be aware more of the little things that makes the bigger things happen.

Q. What did Lorena say to you after you won, just out of curiosity?
GABY LOPEZ: That she was really proud. She felt it was kind of back in her day, like whenever she won, she came back to that feeling. She kind of relived that moment. She knows that it's a hard process, and she told me, hey, just be patient for the second win because it never comes -- I mean, it almost never comes back to back. You've just got to be very, very careful about what you do in the little things and not forget every detail that you do.

Q. How long until you heard from her?
GABY LOPEZ: Oh, hours. Just hours. I turned on my phone, and she was texting me. It's really fun to have her around. I think it's very special to have a mentor just like her and just getting some advice. This is a never ending game of learning, and it's a process. You've got to be very aware of what you're learning.

Q. How much contact do you have with her? How much regular contact?
GABY LOPEZ: I probably talk to her twice a month. So she's very open to give me any advice I need. I reach out to her more often than I ever did. I think it's just a matter of keeping the relationship flowing and respecting each other's time.

Q. I know this is old territory for you, but did you have pictures of her in your room? Did you have any memorabilia?
GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I had a couple pictures. Maybe not in my room, but I have them hanging somewhere in my house. She's been my idol for a long time. I don't know, just learning from her, from everything she did. I mean, 27 tournaments in seven years is hard to beat. It's really hard. First win, it kind of comes, and you think of 7, and you think that's a lot, and then you think of 27, and that's a big number.

Q. Does it mean something totally different to you now that you're out on tour exactly what she's done?
GABY LOPEZ: Exactly. Yeah, I appreciate it even more. People think that, oh, she was talented and that's it. I mean, no, to keep that consistency, just like Annika. It's a huge grind. Like I said, 27 tournaments, I don't know if we're going to be able to see that again. Hopefully we do. But it's hard to see that in such a short period of time.

Q. Did you ever work with Rafa?
GABY LOPEZ: I never did. I never worked with Rafa. My coach was -- Horacio's coach, my coach, was Rafa. So Rafa coached my coach. I don't know, he kind of takes some of what he actually learned from him, but it's been so long that he's learned, I think, more things around just going to courses.

Q. How do you spell your coach's name?
GABY LOPEZ: H-o-r-a-c-i-o, Horacio.

Q. What's his last name?
GABY LOPEZ: Morales.

Q. Your victories, when you look back, what was the biggest difference in making that jump from a good player to an LPGA winner? If you look back at it, what was the difference maker?
GABY LOPEZ: I mean, I guess consistency. I mean, anyone can hit a great shot, but hitting maybe 112 great golf shots, it takes consistency. So I think it's -- you know girls out there and there's a lot of people out there who just want to hit it far. You see who's the farthest one on Tour, and you can see Stacy Lewis, she's been a huge, huge player just by consistency. Or Mo Martin, it's unbelievable what she can do with her woods. She's throwing needles everywhere just because she's consistent.

Q. Is there anything about your game that you have changed in the last couple years or just working on stuff all the time?
GABY LOPEZ: No, my putting has improved a lot. Before college, when I first started practicing with Horacio, I told him, you've got to fix my putting. I'm a terrible putter. You've got to tell me what to do. And we completely changed my stroke. In the beginning, it was really hard. I was missing three-footers, two-footers, one-footers. It was so bad. He said, you've got to stick with it.

And my coach in Arkansas, Shauna Estes, she did a great job sticking to the same program. Even though she was seeing me miss three-footers, she was like that's the right way. You're going to get used to it. So I guess that's it.

Q. What was the simplest way you can explain how to change your putting stroke?
GABY LOPEZ: I used to hit a straight, straight putt, and now it's rounded. It's in and out. I think it's just a natural way to putt, I guess. It's really hard to putt straight, straight in my opinion. So now that you're connected, you don't have to even think. It's in and out.

Q. Is that hard to get used to?
GABY LOPEZ: It's really hard. That's why I was missing every putt out there.

Q. How long did it take you?
GABY LOPEZ: To really get confidence, maybe two years. I mean, a year and a half, and by the time two years, I was winning tournaments. But the first year, probably one time in college.

Q. What year did you make that change?
GABY LOPEZ: I made it 2010, 2009 -- 2011.

Q. So where does Stacy fit in the equation as far as a mentor for you?
GABY LOPEZ: You know, I don't have that much contact with her right now. On Tour, it's hard. She has now family. She has her baby. But I guess it was more in Arkansas when I was on the team. I mean, out here everyone has their own schedule, and it's really hard to fit in. But, yeah, maybe some in Arkansas. Right now I look more up to Lorena.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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