THE MODERATOR: Hello everyone, and welcome back inside the virtual interview room here at Gainbridge LPGA Boca Rio.
Pleased to be joined by Beatriz Recari. Beatriz, how are you feeling heading into the 2022 opener here at Gainbridge?
BEATRIZ RECARI: A little bit awkward I have to say. It's been a long time since my last tournament here on the LPGA, so I'm a little bit -- I feel out of place a little bit. I'm not going to lie.
It's been a long time, and so, you know, I've tried to be as prepared as possible coming into this event. Obviously it's not the same as seeing everyone and being here inside the ropes so a little bit nervous, but no, I mean, you know, I'm looking forward to this week.
Not so much focused on the result. It's more like a week for me to enjoy everything, and, yeah, have a good time.
Q. One of the reasons I think - and we've talked just now - but you enjoying this is because you have said that this is your last LPGA Tour event; is that correct?
BEATRIZ RECARI: It is going to be, yeah. It's a little bit emotional for me, but, yep. I just, after a little bit of soul searching, felt like it was the right time for me to move on. You know, enjoy all the good moments that I have on the course and the not-so-good moments, because they had a lot of silver linings. This game has been such an important part of my life that I'm so excited to be here and have a little bit of closure and have the opportunity to do so.
Yeah, I would've been okay if I hadn't had this opportunity, but, you know, if I'm given the chance to be again on the golf course and have that one last feel of what it is competing at the highest level, it's such a blessing that I'm going to take it and just enjoy this last week.
Q. What went into that decision, as you just mentioned, the soul searching to be able come to that conclusion to walk away? What came up when you were thinking about making this kind of decision now?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I think that being on the LPGA and accomplishing many things that I did have always been my focus, and combined with this time away from the golf course because of my injury and also because of the pandemic, I felt like I got to experience other things and got to appreciate what I've done, too.
When you are in this bubble of one season after the next after the next and every year we have more tournaments, the competition is bigger, you know, it's hard to kind of see anything outside.
And so this time away have given me the opportunity to value other things and other things that I want to explore, see, just have time for other interests that I have and I guess my priorities have changed.
Yeah, I always thought that whenever I want to retire from golf I would feel it. It was something that was more and more obvious as the months passed by. Even when I got the okay to practice and play again when I recovered from my injury, it was obvious that that time had -- or this passion had kind of faded a little bit and that I didn't have the drive to get up and work on my game as much.
And so I have always loved to give it my all. Whatever I did in my life I always wanted to give 100%. So if I'm not interesting in giving 100%, I think it's time to do other things and enjoy all the things of life, again, I've had the opportunity to experience this time away from the golf course, and, yeah, reinvent myself I guess is the best way to say it.
Q. I like that, reinvent yourself. A question from the chat he is where have you been and why this event, why 2022?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I've been a little bit in between Spain and the U.S. I was mostly in Spain because of my medical treatment. I was having the surgeries done in Spain.
And why this event? You know, I live in Miami. I live nearby. I don't know. It felt right. I felt like it was a tournament close to home; I'm going to have some friends following, and it's such a great event as well.
I was thinking maybe March, but like I said, what's the point of delaying something that feels right?
Q. Yeah.
BEATRIZ RECARI: I couldn't to earlier because I got the okay to play again last September, and that's when the season here in the U.S. finished and then was Asia, and so I wasn't ready until this week or until this event.
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I was thinking maybe further down, but I'm ready. I'm ready to focus on other things, and I felt like it's fair for other players to take my spot.
Yeah, I mean, for many reasons I thought Boca would be a good round up of my career. (Smiling.)
Q. You said that it's quite emotional coming back. It's been a while since we've seen you out here. A little awkward you even said. Is it weird seeing new faces that maybe you haven't met out on the course, and who have you seen in your first time back in a while that you were happy to see again?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Definitely, yeah. I'm seeing a lot of new faces, and maybe that's why I feel a little bit even more out of place, you know, because it's very different -- new faces, new stuff, new regulations because of also we're still having some regulations because of the COVID pandemic restrictions.
So it's all different from when I left that everything is kind of very different and new at the same time. Yeah, I mean, I'm excited, but it is -- yeah, I feel in Spain we have a saying, I feel like an octopus in a garage. It's like completely -- a little bit like I don't belong here anymore. You know, it's all good, but it is weird.
Q. If you feel comfortable do you mind going through what kind of injuries you were dealing with and what surgeries you had to help get you to where you are today?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yeah, so right before this event in 2020 I fractured -- I had a stress fracture on my left tibia. It wasn't that big, just something like this. (Indicating.) But for some reason it wouldn't heal so the doctor kept telling me that it normally takes eight to ten weeks to heal and nothing was happening, nothing was getting better. After every MRI it was exactly the same.
So then they started giving my medication. It didn't work. They wanted to -- last resort was to put some torques and plaques just to close the fracture, which I wanted to avoid.
Then someone -- I saw different doctors, and someone recommended me PRP injections, but obviously because it's in the bone they have to drill it, so they still have to sedate you and give you anesthesia, so it's three proper -- I had three of those, and they were proper surgeries obviously. You have to be hospitalized and everything.
But they worked, you know, and I'm here today and I'm being able to be healthy, because it was getting -- the whole process was so long that it wasn't so much about coming back to golf, it was more like I want to have a normal life. I want to be able to walk, maybe run.
I wasn't even able to go up the stairs. Yeah, I'm very fortunate. Back to what I was mentioning earlier, I'm just so grateful for the broader things in general that I'm happy to be here and I'm happy to focus on my next chapter.
Q. And a question that I love is you said that you reinvented yourself. What have you reinvented into, and what would you describe as the new Beatriz?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, I've always had other interests. I've always loved art, I've always loved studying. I studied one year of economics in my home university when I was 18 at the same time as I was playing on the LET.
So I've been able to have time to do all these interests that I've always had and postponed because playing all the LPGA, that's the main focus and you have to commit and give it your all and just focus on that alone.
But how I describe myself, I guess a little bit more open. You know, when you're competing every single week, and plus me, I'm -- I would describe myself as very disciplined and very hard working, so I feel like it's given me the chance to be a little bit more relaxed, not worry about having a late dinner and going to bed at 11:00 pm.
I've always been very German like in that way, very structured, very disciplined, always have to follow what you would envision the perfect athlete. Very responsible.
I'm a little bit more relaxed. I'm still obviously responsible, don't take me wrong. People from the outside would say, Okay, she's normal now. Before she was like a little bit of a freak and too much practice and tests and documents and analytics and stats.
Yeah, I guess I'm a little bit more easygoing I guess.
Q. You were a three-time winner on tour. You have a lot of great moments inside your career. You really were open about your journey back in 2013 when you won the Founders Cup, donating your winner's check I believe to the National Eating Disorder Awareness.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Uh-huh.
Q. Just your entire journey of your life in golf, what are some of the moments that really stand out to you when you look back on your career?
BEATRIZ RECARI: This is hard. This is a very hard question. God, so many. It's hard to say. And I don't -- this is hard.
I was hoping this wouldn't happen. I'm so sorry.
Q. I'm sorry.
JAYE MARIE GREEN: No, no, it's a great question. But, God, I feel like golf has given me so much, way more than trophies and money, status, fame. It has given me so much that it's hard to describe.
There are so many moments that composes one big moment of so much appreciation for everything.
So yep.
Q. A lot of big moments there.
BEATRIZ RECARI: I hate this. Sorry.
Q. No. It's all right. We'll change frame a little bit. Looking ahead to this week, I assume you had your practice round out there. What's it like to be playing out there and kind of feeling a little bit more calmer maybe? What do you think of this course as you get ready for this event?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yeah, no, that helped a lot because I'm hitting it nowhere. I lost so much distance in these two years. I played with Brittany Lang and Gerina Pillar, who I adore both of them, and they're hitting it like 50 to 60 yards longer than me. It's going to be so long for me this week.
It's going to be -- ah, it's going to be a long week. Ah, thank you so much. But, I mean, in the past I would've got so mad. I would've gotten so mad and stressed out. You know what? I'll do my best and that's all I can do.
Q. What do you like most about this course here from what you'd played so far? I know you just talked about losing distance a little bit.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yeah.
Q. Just getting comfortable competing again, what's that been like?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Oh, the second shots -- I mean, off the tee is demanding, but the approach shots, the shots into the green, they're very, very demanding.
It kind of reminds me of Kia, Aviara, which I've done well in the past. But it's such a course where you have to position. Each green is narrow and have shapes and sections, and so I even purchase a greens book just because I really need to have an awareness of how the green, the contours, what the position is, because I think it's such a good challenge.
It's also part of the reason I wanted to play this week. It's such a good challenge as a golf course. To me what stands out is the approach shots. You have to really think and be smart. You miss the greens, short game, I mean, no, it's not an easy course onto the green for sure.
THE MODERATOR: We'll wrap it up with this: Like you said earlier, you don't really have expectations this week. It's kind of going out there, having as much fun as possible. What are some fun moments since you have come back this week? Have you said hi to some people you haven't seen in a while, and what are the reaction to seeing you again?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yes, no, it is very nice to see many people like Gerina and B...
Q. B. Lang.
BEATRIZ RECARI: You know, players that I've played with since my rookie year.
You know, like you mentioned earlier, there are a lot of new faces which I won't have the time to meet, but those players that I've competed with over the years, it was very nice to catch up. They all have kids now.
And, yeah, then some caddies as well that have been here for a long time. It's always nice to feel like you've been missed, so, yeah, it's been very pleasant in that way for sure.
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