– Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Muñoz and Ana Peláez are the representation of present and future Spanish golf in the tournament that starts tomorrow at Villa Padierna.
– Sixteen Spaniards will fight for the season-closing title on the Ladies European Tour
Bringing together the three best Spanish players in the world ranking is not an easy task, as two of them compete regularly on the LPGA and the third has experienced her first season on the LET. Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Muñoz and Ana Pélaez held an interesting press conference in which they analysed their last year, as well as their plans for the future in the run-up to the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España.
However, each of them lives their own reality. Carlota Ciganda arrives at the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España 2022 after winning the Estrella Damm Ladies Open in Spain, in a season “that has been good” but which she defines as “somewhat inconsistent in the LPGA. You can’t be 100% every week”. She has played more events than usual, “so I’m looking forward to resting and recharging my batteries for next year”.
Although the player from Navarre recognises that she is especially motivated when she plays at home: “I love playing in my country. I don’t know if it’s because of the support I get or the adrenaline, but I always try my best and I want to think that I’m at 100% for this tournament”.
Therefore, Azahara Muñoz played on home soil and received the affection of her family and Friends. It motivates her enormously, but it should not be forgotten that she has been away from the golf course since February, when she became a mother, and did not return to competition until September.
“I was really looking forward to playing this tournament, because as well as being at home, I feel that I’m missing rounds and this tournament is perfect. It will be four days that will help me enormously in my preparation”, explained Azahara Muñoz, avoiding the excuse of having travelled with her son Lucas, as “it’s a matter of organisation. It’s true that some nights are harder than others, but in general, I think I’m recovering well”.
The third protagonist, Ana Peláez still can hardly believe she is sitting “with these magnificent players” after a year “of learning, and not just about golf but about everything that surrounds it”. Although her competitive streak comes out immediately when she says that she comes to the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España thinking big, as “my objective is always to win”. The Malaga-born player won the LET card after winning the Comunidad de Madrid Ladies Open at the beginning of the season.
Ana Peláez, fifth classified in the Race To Costa del Sol, also took stock of her first year as a professional and acknowledged that “I put a lot of pressure on myself, but nowadays it’s a different way. I like to feel that pressure and I prefer it to nobody noticing me”.
Perhaps that´s why Ana Pelaez has among her plans to get the LPGA card to “fight with the best”, while her voice does not tremble when she acknowledges that the Solheim Cup is marked in red on her calendar because “I want to play it, it is one of my goals, even more so being played in Andalusia”.
She also says this in the presence of Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Muñoz, the two Spanish players who have played the most Solheim Cups. Both are more cautious when they think about their respective chances of playing in the biennial tournament that will take place from 18 to 24 September next year at Finca Cortesín, but you can see in the sparkle in their eyes that they have not lost the passion that Ana Peláez exudes.
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España news can be followed on the openfemenino.com website, the Twitter account @Openfemenino, the Instagram account @spanishopen and the Facebook page @openfemenino.
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España 2022 will be held at Alferini Golf (Villa Padierna) from 24 to 27 November and is part of the Solheim Cup 2023 programme, an event declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest (AEIP) and which provides important tax advantages to participating companies.
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, the last event on the Ladies European Tour calendar, is sponsored by Andalucía, Costa del Sol and Acosol as main sponsors, together with Marbella, Benahavís and Reale Seguros. Vithas is the official medical service. Solán de Cabras, Eversheds Sutherland, Mahou and Puerto Banús are official suppliers. Marca and Radio Marca are official media. LET, RFEG, RFGA and Deporte & Business collaborate in the organisation.