THE MODERATOR: All right, joining us ahead of the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern is Aza and Cheyenne. We'll start with you Aza. Just talk about being an LPGA mom on Tour.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Yeah, it's great. Obviously it's really busy and things are not what they used to be, but I love it. I always wanted to play on Tour as a mom, so being able to do it, having daycare that allows me to do that, is really great.
Q. Cheyenne, you haven't made a start since having your baby. Can you talk a little bit about going through the process of becoming a mom, also being a professional golfer?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, it's been the greatest gift to become a mom. Like I just think about Aza and talking a little bit earlier, just see the moms on Tour, I just have such a greater respect of how they do it. I'm not even playing this week and Cooper stayed back at home.
But, yeah, I'm super excited to play next year with him along. And yeah, it's been amazing to see moms like Aza being able to juggle both and play well.
Q. You guys are both part of Team ShopRite. Talk about this tournament and what ShopRite has done for it as well as the community around here.
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I think this tournament has such a great history. It's one of our longest-running tournaments, and how much ShopRite has given back to the community, even just trying to elevate the event for us. Putting us up in a hotel, raising the purse, and all the little perks throughout the week just really shows the commitment to the Tour.
And also for me, continue to sponsor me while on maternity leave really myself has been impacted by them, and just giving back. Really grateful for them.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Yeah, same thing. The fact that they raised I think they said last night over $45 million in charity. That's the most women tournament has ever raised. That's pretty amazing. They're obviously committed to us. We been coming here for so long.
I did play here since my rookie year so this is my 15th year because I miss COVID and when I had Lucas.
But I've been here for 15 years, and every year they just keep making the tournament better. We're very grateful. Obviously being a part of Team ShopRite, we are very blessed.
Q. For you Aza specifically, what is your goal for the week? What would make this a successful week for you?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: You know, I don't like setting like what do I want to finish or not because that's not up to me. To be honest, just playing free. Just hitting every shot committed, and I know if I do that, eventually I'm going to play well.
So that would be a good week for me.
Q. You both have seen this course quite a few times at this point. Can you just give some insight into course setup and what is going to be important to be successful out here?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: I'll do it because she hasn't played this golf course this week. So this golf course is going to be windy. I've seen the forecast and it normally is, so it's one of the shortest courses we play, but it can get pretty tricky with the wind.
The greens are really small, so I think the second shots are pretty important. And it's not very easy to make putts, so I think just giving yourself a lot of opportunities. And if you start missing greens and give yourself lots of five-, six-footers for par in another course might be easier to make them; here is quite challenging.
So I think like hitting a lot of greens is definitely key.
Q. Specifically for Aza, coming from Spain you played a lot of courses in your time on the LPGA Tour. How does South Jersey stack up to some of the places you played at?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: I'm actually a bit bias because I've done really well at this tournament, so you tend to like courses you done really well. I'm a pretty good iron player, so I like that the greens are small. That suits me well.
And I like that it's not very easy to make putts. I don't like courses that you shoot 25-under, so that's I guess why I like this course.
I don't know if it's very much a New Jersey course. Normally I feel like when I think of New Jersey you think of tree lined, so this is not quite like that. But, I mean, I like it.
Q. What kind of preparation do you do for a weekend like this?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: I mean, it's only so much you can prepare. Again, you know it's going to be windy. If you are practicing at home, I live in Florida so it is kind of windy. I guess that helped. Last week I was home.
There is not much you can prepare. You cannot prepare the same for every week to be honest. This week I think wedges are pretty important because you are hitting a lot of them into the greens. So a little bit of extra work with wedges is pretty helpful.
Q. And so for both you guys, too, you guys are part of the veteran leadership of Team ShopRite. You have some younger counterparts. Any advice you would give to rookies making their debut who are on the Tour?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I think talking to Gianna the last like few days, she's 18, and I think it's a stressful sport, stressful living out here on the LPGA. I think just taking it one week at a time. You have so much golf and life ahead of you. I think like me as a rookie I put a lot of pressure and stress on myself to play well instead of just embracing everything and learning each week.
So I would say that's kind of the advice I would give to rookies. Aza --
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: 100%. It's so easy when you've been on Tour for so long to look back and say, oh, I wish I didn't get so upset for missing a cut. Because it's true, you put so much emphasis on every single week.
We have so many opportunities. That's the good thing about golf. Like you have 20 -- high 20 tournaments every year, so obviously just to enjoy it. It is our job, but I think we tend to put, as she said, a lot of pressure on ourself and make it a bit too serious. More than it should be really.
Q. I know you guys have two different sets of expectations because, Cheyenne, you're not playing. What are you both excited about for the tournament this week and the overall experience?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Just getting to compete one more week. I still love competing. It's why I still do it. So, yeah, just getting out there and getting the juices flowing and hopefully have a good week.
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah. I'm around doing stuff. I'm going to watch some of the girls play. Seeing a lot of my friends out here. I haven't seen them in a few months so the Tour is like such a great family and a lot of girls have babies and kids and just to see them all. Yeah, because I've been at home just kind of being a mom to Cooper, so it's been nice.
Yeah, I'll go watch some golf.
Q. Cheyenne, start with you. Clue us in on what your involvement is with the LPGA ShopRite for this week? You're obviously going to be doing a lot of stuff but you won't be playing. But how involved are you going to be involved behind the scenes?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Right, yeah, I was excited to see what my week was going to look like. Played in the pro-ams and I had to kind of practice leading up to that. I really haven't played since September, so definitely knocking some rust off.
I'm really excited about the junior clinics, and we're doing some things with the Special Olympics later this afternoon. I just love to just try to make their day and just be kind of a positive impact or let them have some fun.
I'm going to do a women's luncheon tomorrow and, yeah, just really get to meet a lot of kids and women and just try to make golf maybe a little bit more approachable to them and maybe not so intimidating.
Q. I know we joked around before the press conference started, I wanted to ask you on the air. Has the mom strength come in? Are we going to see plus ten miles per hour on your drive when you come back? How is that development going?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I need to ask Aza because I don't hit it anywhere right now. I mean, I don't hit it anywhere.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Yeah, it takes a while to get it back. Everybody is different, but the things is when you haven't swung the club in so long, like even normally I'm really good at taking five weeks off in the offseason, and when I get back I've lost so much speed.
So it's just not swinging. You have to get used to swinging fast. So that's probably what she's feeling. She looks the same, so she's going to be fine and she's get it right back. You know, like you haven't --
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Yeah. She's back in shape and going to be fine. It does take a tiny bit to get it back, but it doesn't go more.
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I can't count on ten extra miles an hour?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: No. It didn't happen to me. If to happen to you, I hope it does. (Laughing.)
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I'll keep you posted.
Q. Lastly, for both of you, the Tri-State area in terms of golf, the teams that are around, the events they're putting on, especially this one in particular, the longest-standing LPGA Tour in the LPGA, do you guys -- I'll start with you Cheyenne and then want to ask you Aza, as well, because you've been in the LPGA for more than 15 years at this point, so you're very familiar with this specific event. Cheyenne, do you feel the buzz behind this event, whether it's from fanfare, golfers themselves, because golf around the area is buzzing?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Oh, yeah. I think they just had the PGA Championship at Aronimink. Just as areas, like excited for some warmer weather, ready for some golf. Yeah, I think this event, when you walk across the street to go play on the Bay Course there is always a great crowd and a lot of people at the Village.
Yeah, I do think like this tournament is always buzzing and always has great crowd. No matter where you are on the golf course there is always people watching and excited to watch the LPGA and support us.
Yeah, I would say it's always a great crowd.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: I agree with her. It's always pretty fun to play in front of so many people. I remember years where the weather hasn't been the best and people are still out and about. You know, finishing Sunday on the 18th, they have done such a good job, but everybody just kind of sits around.
Yeah, it's nice to go places where you know people want to watch you play, so this is for sure one of those.
Q. For you having been around this specific event for so long, how have you seen this evolve?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Obviously ShopRite is doing a better job every year. To be honest, I always remember a lot of people. I don't know when your rookie year was, but I think it's a pretty full tournament since I ever remember it.
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah.
Q. Aza, what does it mean this year to be part of Team ShopRite?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: It's great to have such an amazing company like want to be part of your team and want to sponsor you. I mean, we need our sponsors to pay for expenses. It's really expensive to travel around. Thanks to them we can do what we do.
So coming to do a tournament like this that's sponsored by one of my sponsor is pretty special. I've never had a sponsor that sponsors a tournament. It's my first one. So it's really special to be here this week.
All the leadership of ShopRite, they couldn't have been any nicer. You ask her what she's been doing, she's been doing it all. She's not playing the tournament, but she's like helping us, because we have had a couple dinners, pro-ams, but then she's taking more responsibilities and doing the clinics which help us to have a little more time off.
We been doing dinners with them and they're just great people to be part of.
Q. And you guys kind of mentioned, both of you, what does this tournament mean to the LPGA community?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: I mean, it's great. It's the longest tournament we ever had, so, again, to have a sponsor that has that commitment, it means a lot. I know it's only going to get better and better.
So it's great to get new partnerships. When you start losing tournaments -- it depends who the CEO is. If they change they might drop the tournament, so you have to look for a new sponsor.
ShopRite has been with us so long that it's a pretty solid relationship now.
Q. Again, you guys been here for a couple years. What's it like seeing the growth of this tournament throughout the community?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, first time I played here was 2019. That was my rookie year, and it's changed a lot. I think what Aza was saying, like my schedule on the LPGA, just tournaments that have come and gone, yeah, like we've lost sponsors, lost tournaments and just ShopRite, that's kind of one that you know thankfully just because of Mike and Renee, it's not going to go anywhere; just going to improve and get better.
And just their commitment to the community and the LPGA is long-standing. Playing with people in the pro-am that they've played for 13 state years. Not quite as long as the tournament has been going on, but I think -- I hope that the LPGA doesn't take for granted just how good of a tournament this is and how it's going to continue to keep growing and getting better, because it's rare we have a long-standing sponsor like this.
I mean, we're very grateful for that.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: Yeah.
Q. The LPGA is in its 76th year. We have seen a lot of changes recently. We are a very global tour. We have had a ton of purse increases just this year. Can you talk about how you've seen the LPGA grow and develop and change during your time on the Tour?
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: I mean, it's amazing. Since I started, 2010 was my rookie year, I remember a normal tournament would be $1.5 million? We had some $1 million, $1.2. Now all these new events coming up. Like the majors are $10 million, $12 million.
I mean, and that's great for us because it's only going to get better and better. I think when couple tournaments step it up it makes the other ones have to step it up type of thing. I guess they don't have to, but they kind of do if they want to keep competing with them.
So, I mean, all the regular events have got better. We have a few like 4 and a half million, four million, but especially the majors have stepped up their game so good.
And then we are getting a lot of nice perks. This week they're putting us up in a hotel. That adds up. Like we have a lot of events now that they put us up in hotels. That saves a lot of money. Especially if you have seven or eight of those a year, it's $15,000, $16,000 you're saving.
It's pretty amazing what's been happening.
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I think if the Founders saw where we are now I think they would be shocked but also so proud, because we wouldn't be where we are today without them.
Just to echo what Aza was saying, the purses, the perks we get. I remember just playing in like a U.S. Women's Open and we got a courtesy car. That was like the only tournament. Well, now we get more courtesy cars. This week we're getting a hotel. That was unheard of for years.
Honestly, like the quality of courses that we play, I mean, for AIG a few years ago we played Muirfield. That was a men's-only club for the longest time. Women's sports is really growing in a positive direction, and just across the board purses, TV coverage. Just I think it's in a really good spot right now to, you know, try to impact the younger generation.
I never got to watch LPGA event growing up. There wasn't one close by and just watched on TV. So we're a global tour, and hopefully keep that impact going.
Q. What excites you most about being part of Team ShopRite not only this week, but throughout the year as well?
CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I love the mentorship program. I didn't really consider myself a mentor, but I am getting older. But I really enjoyed just getting to spend time with Aza and Gianna and Rachel. It's a really cool thing. I don't really think any other sponsor does that. It goes back to their community mission.
So I'm going to continue to follow Gianna and Rachel on Epson and LPGA throughout the year and cheer them on. I think golf is an individual kind of selfish, competitive sport, but I think us going to all the dinners and getting to spend time together has really, you know, kind of blossomed the friendship in a way.
I'm going to root for them for sure.
AZAHARA MUÑOZ: It's funny you were saying that because I didn't flow what you would say. But I totally agree with her. We spend the last couple nights doing dinners. When you do these things you get to know the important even more so it's been great. Like Gianna for example. I knew Rachel decently well but Gianna I wouldn't have never known her. She's 20 years younger than me.
You get to spend time with them so as she said you get to know for them a little bit and for sure root for them in the future.
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