U.S. ADAPTIVE OPEN

July 7, 2024

Amanda Cunha

Sand Creek Station

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here we are with Amanda Cunha, a vision impairment category winner from last year. How does it feel to be back?

AMANDA CUNHA: It's really good to be back. I'm really glad to be in a state I've never been in to play at. I love Pinehurst, but it's always fun to find new courses.

Q. How is this course different from Pinehurst? We've heard a few players say it is quite different. What is your take on that?

AMANDA CUNHA: Yeah, Pinehurst, you have to hit -- especially for me, and I'm hitting from purple tees, I was always hitting fades and draws, but this time it's not as dramatic as curves, so I'm able to hit more of -- I do hit 5-woods but it's not any fading or drawing.

Q. What about this week overall makes it so special? I know you're here hanging out with a lot of your friends and the adaptive golf community. How cool is it to be here and be a part of that?

AMANDA CUNHA: It's really awesome. Like you said, I'm really great friends with a lot of these people, and I've only been blind for like four years now, and so for the three years that I've been playing adaptive golf, I've really been able to make really strong connections with these people.

Q. How has it been playing at Arizona? How has that helped your golf game, and how is your form coming into this week?

AMANDA CUNHA: My form right now is pretty good. I would say I've been practicing at home a lot with my dad. He's been really great in taking me to the course every other day.

It's been really awesome. I've loved being able to still play my sport while I'm in college. I didn't think I'd have that opportunity, so to do that is amazing in itself. I'm just so grateful for all the opportunities through Arizona that I've been given.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about who you have as your on-course guide with you this week, and what is that dynamic like? What types of things does he help you with versus things that you decide, no, I'm going to go by feel or do it my own way? What's the player-caddie dynamic?

AMANDA CUNHA: Yeah, so a lot of it I do rely on my dad. My dad is my caddie this year, and for most of these tournaments he is. Really just thankful he's able to come out here and help me out.

We have a really special and curated bond that we've worked through over the last like four years. It's been a rough journey to say the least, but right now I'm just really thankful that we've kind of overcome all of those, and we're able to work together really seamlessly now.

I think a lot of it was just trust because when you're visually impaired, you have to pretty much solely rely on this person to tell you the yardage, which isn't that big of a thing, but when it's direction and when it's the line on a green, you're somewhat hesitant. When I was beginning I was really hesitant and I was really scared to trust him, but right now I am almost pretty much full trust in my dad to line me up and everything.

But the thing I feel like I do most myself is whenever I am practicing, I'm able to walk off distances really easily. I'll walk from the flag and I'll pace out like five steps to ten to wherever I'm going. I will know -- I've worked on it for the last three years, like for 10 steps I'm bringing it back this much. That's the thing I pretty much do myself, solely myself.