DIAMOND RESORTS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 21, 2021

Gaby Lopez

Tranquilo Golf Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Gaby, what a great first round here at Four Seasons. You play so well at this course. Would you say it's a course that you particularly like?

GABY LOPEZ: Of course. You know, we as players, we play so many golf courses. Being able to go back, come back to those courses which you like the most, the ones that the distance is probably the right one for you and the course setup.

So, yeah, really enjoy this golf course. The community, the people are so welcoming. This place has a special vibe.

Q. You started with a birdie, ended with a birdie, and four birdies in between. Would you say on the 1st hole was when the momentum kicked in for you today?

GABY LOPEZ: I think it was more probably on the seventh hole that I was hitting it really close. I gave myself really good chances for birdie.

Yeah, I guess I got momentum in the middle of the round and I was able to keep up.

Q. We have footage of you saying, Vamos, when something is going right. Is that what you continue to say to yourself? What do you say, English our Spanish?

GABY LOPEZ: Yes, it's a little tricky, because I speak in Spanish to myself. At the same time, I also speak in English.

Yeah, I say, Vamos a lot of times in the golf course, especially when I make a putt, hit a good shot. I think it's a matter of cheering up yourself and staying positive.

It's a great week. We have amazing players. I was very lucky to play with Annika today. I learned a lot from her. She's a tremendous player and even a better person.

Learning from her off the golf course I think is the biggest blessing.

Q. Just too many takeaways from playing with Annika that you're dying to write down before you forget?

GABY LOPEZ: Exactly. Oh, yeah. I'm going to write everything down, as I usually do. She is an amazing player. But more than that, she sees the game in a different way than everybody else did, so that's why she has so many tools and she was able to succeed in so many ways for such a long time.

I mean, she dominated the game for 15-plus years. That's a really hard thing to do, and I think it's very admiring.

Q. I was just curious, had you had much interaction with Annika before this week, either at her junior tournaments perhaps or at college level?

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I've had -- the first time I had interaction with her was when I was 13 at her event at the AJGA Invitational, ANNIKA, the Reunion Resort here in Orlando.

So just going back to those days and now seeing myself, so many years have passed from that day, and now just looking back, just makes me proud of what I've achieved and where I'm going.

We talked a lot about short-term goals. She dominated in so many ways and she was always asking herself, How can I just get better in this area, this area, just breaking it down so she feels she's achieving different goals in short-term to gain confidence, be comfortable.

So, yeah, it's really cool to see the little Gaby when she was 13 and now the 27 year old Gaby still inspiring -- being inspired by her.

Q. Does it change a little bit? When you're 13 it's Annika. There is that hero worship, I suppose. Do you see her more as a peer now, even though your careers are separated by a certain number of years?

GABY LOPEZ: No. She's going to forever be my super hero. When I was growing up I wish I could be Lorena Ochoa or Annika Sorenstam. I mean, those we were my ultimate super heros, so today was probably one of the luckiest days of my life being able to play with her in a competitive round.

Q. And play so well. My last question for you is you mention Lorena so much. Did she reach out to you before this, or even during this tournament, and did you and Annika talk about it at all?

GABY LOPEZ: Yes, Lorena texted me yesterday wishing me good luck this week. She's always been very, very punctual with her timing of texting me and cheering me on.

So just having her by my side, but not even me asking for her advice, but she reaching out to me, that tells me such a huge heart that she has. I love her in so many ways, and now I was really lucky to have a little taste of what she felt when she played back with Annika back in the days.