CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 19, 2021

Gaby Lopez

Tiburon Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Right in the mix heading into the weekend. Just a single bogey to start the week. What has been the key to the great start?

GABY LOPEZ: I guess just consistent thinking, consistent ball striking, and consistent speed control on the greens.

I mean, it's a golf course that I think the first time you come you just got to be able to learn as much as possible. I feel from my first start to my sixth start is much different. I just know exactly where to hit it and where not to hit it.

Q. You talked yesterday about having this boundless energy. At this stage in the season when so many players are tired with the grind and the last two years, how do you feel that works to your benefit this week?

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I'm a very intense girl. I love to work out. I love to even practice when I'm tired. That's one of the things that I think is probably paying off right now.

You know, just being very conscious of what's working and not changing anything. Just still be comfortable out there.

Q. How comfortable do you feel in this position now?

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I mean, I guess I'm -- I keep repeating myself. I don't care about the result. I don't care where I hit it. I just care about my breathing, how am I approaching every shot mentally.

At the end of the day it's golf, and you can play your best, best golf ever and not win. It's just not controllable. If I take care of the little things, maybe the big thing happens.

Q. We are joined by Gaby Lopez after a 4-under par 68 in the second round of the CME Group Tour Championship. Gaby, five birdies on the scorecard at Nos. 5 and 6 on the front nine, 10, 14, and 17 on the back nine. Any one of those in particular get the day rolling for you?

GABY LOPEZ: I guess probably not a birdie, but a par putt on No.4. I drove it into the water and I hit a beautiful shot to probably 12 feet and made the putt.

I feel that kept me rolling for just hitting the right speed and the right putt.

Q. How much of a factor was the wind today?

GABY LOPEZ: Oh, it was so fun. I mean, it played really tough because sometimes -- it's unpredictable. Sometimes it's swirling and sometimes picking the right club is hard exactly to hit it close.

You just got to be able to have the ability to know where to miss it. Like Danielle Kang was saying yesterday, you just fail better, I guess. Just be comfortable wherever you hit it is probably the wind going to take it, and just accept that.

Q. A couple players earlier today said they hope the wind keeps up tomorrow. Would you agree with that? You said it was fun. Do you want it to keep coming?

GABY LOPEZ: I do. I think the bigger the challenge I feel that's where I focus more. I'm not thinking about the future and I'm not thinking probably about what I need to do rather what I'm doing in that moment.

I feel that when it's blowing 30 miles per hour that's the challenge that you really got to face in that moment. You can't let your mind go away because you're probably going to miss it and it's going to be a big miss with that wind.

Q. You mentioned yesterday some of the little things, doing little things to make sure the big things can fall in place. What are some of the little things you focused on this week either on or off the golf course that you felt have contributed to some success or a sharper mental game?

GABY LOPEZ: Those are my little secrets, Zach. I mean, I guess just practicing mindfulness, being able to be present when I'm eating, when I'm showering, and, I don't know, I think that that keeps me probably a little daily practice until the moment and the shot I need to hit just right there.

And I don't know, it's hard because golf is such an unpredictable sport. Being able to stay present for five, six hours, it's hard. So just got to be mindful of the little things.

Q. Keep the other secrets to yourself. You mentioned obviously yesterday about journalling and your background with that. On the way over you said you journaled yesterday instead of reading back on some things. What did you particularly focus on when you were scribbling some notes down?

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I was writing yesterday just validating myself. I'm a very -- I get really hard on myself and I get really tough, so sometimes I don't validate myself enough.

When I'm doing great things I'm just writing down all of the great things that happened that day. You know, just like today, I mean, just got to be very aware of all the things that I'm doing right so I'm focusing on the right stuff.

Just accepting I guess, learning from the mistakes, because I'm going to make mistakes. You know, I just got to be clever on where I'm making my mistakes.

Q. Looks like Celine birdied the last hole so she's got a 4-shot lead. Just your thoughts on someone shooting 65 in these conditions and also having a four-stroke lead going into the weekend.

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I mean, I've played with Celine probably ten -- since ten years ago. It's been really fun to grow together. It was really fun to celebrate her first win. She can do it same as me, so, I mean, I just think that great golf keeps embracing better golf.

If she's going to be five ahead, then I got to make five birdies, right? So just being more mentally competitive and not letting that get myself down instead of focusing on what I need to do to get the ball in the hole.

Q. With your mentioning of not necessarily worrying about the shot and letting golf take care of itself, you don't lose the competitive edge though. How do you do that to have that mentality but also stay hungry?

GABY LOPEZ: It's a really fine line to keep pushing and letting go, because when you make one birdie you want to keep going and keep going and making more birdies.

But I guess it's the satisfaction of not leaving the golf course with, Oh, I should have done this or I should have gone -- you know, I'm just going to be mentally aggressive and just very proud of how I did today and yesterday.

I haven't failed any for now, and I'm going to feel them. I'm just really happy all of the work I put mentally and emotionally, it's taking me the right way.

I'm going to keep doing that same thing, and probably tomorrow is going to be completely different. It's going to be an independent day. So being able to treat each day differently and not trying to drag back from yesterday or today.

Q. You said you're the Energizer Bunny. You keep on going and going.

GABY LOPEZ: Yes.

Q. You had some early mornings last week with tee times and wakeup calls. I'm sure you got to sleep in a little today; sleep in even more tomorrow. But do you sleep in, or are you go, go, go, first thing in the morning?

GABY LOPEZ: When I'm in tournament, I mean, I try to sleep in, but probably my sleep in is probably 7:00 a.m. It's not very long.

But I've talked to my boyfriend so many times about creating the habit of sleeping the same exact time every day. Sometimes it's hard when you have so many delays and your body is changing, but being able to eat dinner at the same time and just creating the habit of going to sleep at 9:30 when I'm in tournament days.

If I do that, then if I wake up at 6:00 a.m. there is no worries because I'm fully rested.

Q. Taking care of the little things.

GABY LOPEZ: Right.

Q. For those of us who don't eat dinner much in Mexico, what is the normal time? Is it like Spain where you eat at 11:00 p.m.?

GABY LOPEZ: Yes, Mexico time dinner, it's crazy. I mean, my mom would have, Oh, we're having dinner at 9:30. I'm like, Oh, my gosh. No, I'll just have a tea, a cup of tea. It gets crazy late in Mexico. That's why people don't sleep any good.

But that's what I love from being in college here in states in Arkansas. I just learned that everyone had to eat dinner early, and I loved that. So I just adopted that for the rest of my golfing career.