THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome Torque GC to LIV Golf Mayakoba 2024. We are joined by our captain Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Sebastian Muñoz and the new member of Torque GC, Carlos Ortiz.
Joaquin, tell us what went into your decision to bring Carlos on to your team.
JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I think it goes back from probably a couple years since we were on Tour, that the four of us were kind of like a team already. We were having practice rounds together. We were staying in houses together. We were kind of doing a lot of things together and supporting each other.
Obviously the idea of coming to LIV and being in Torque was with the four of us, so it's nice to be now the four of us on the same team, and can't wait to start the season here in Mexico.
Q. Carlos, how does it feel to be returning here as a Torque this year?
CARLOS ORTIZ: It feels great. Pretty much what Joaquin said; I think it was just kind of meant to be. It just took a little bit longer than we planned, but obviously things were a little bit -- not as planned when we came here.
Now it's working out, and we're excited to start.
Q. Torque had an incredible season last year. You guys absolutely killed it.
JOAQUIN NIEMANN: No pressure, Carlos.
Q. Do you guys feel like you have that same level of momentum heading into the season?
SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Sure. I feel like, as you said, we had a great season last year. I feel that the fun was what motivated that. We had fun going into these events and competing with each other and kind of pushed each other to new heights, and we got to one last year by winning four times. We couldn't get the total job done, but now we're here for finishing that. That's our main goal is to be the best team out here.
Q. Mito?
MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, I don't see why we can't have a better season this year. Four solid players, and we know we can do it, and just try to be our best version all year.
Q. You guys are the Latin American team and you're here playing in Mexico. What does it mean to be playing in Mexico, and what does it mean for you to have a team representing all of Latin America?
CARLOS ORTIZ: I mean, it's huge. I think what LIV is doing, it's all about growing the game, and I think that's what we are doing here.
Mayakoba has been great in doing that, having the tournament before this and now continuing with LIV, and we're just honored to be part of that, I guess, legacy or team of people that are growing golf in Latin America.
That's something as a team that we feel really responsible for doing and doing it the right way, showing the values that I think kids and people want to see, and we want to just show it by not only playing good but by the way we behave.
Q. I know yesterday you guys did some charitable work with the kids from Fútbol Más. They came and played some golf with you guys. Can you talk about what and what that meant to you?
JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, it was fun. It was nice to see all the kids. I think we've done it a few times before.
For me and for the whole team, I think it's always nice to see kids having fun, and I think that was the main goal for yesterday.
They had some fun. They just enjoyed being outside, simple stuff, just playing games and doing sports, which is I think the idea of life.
MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, it was really cool to see how obviously the kids but how the foundation works and how they do a lot of things through sport and try to get the kids to know themselves better and to do things that is going to help them for their whole life.
Q. Who do you guys think is the team to beat this year?
CARLOS ORTIZ: I mean, if you ask everybody else, it would be us. We're just trying to be better than we were last year.
SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Yeah, I guess a good way to put it is -- shoot, I don't know. We've got plenty of rivals this year. To give you one, I'll say Smash.
MITO PEREIRA: I think Torque.
JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I think we're the team to beat.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports