THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to be joined by Carlota Ciganda at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA championship. Welcome to Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. How do you feel about your game coming into this one?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: Very good, very happy, thank you. Last week it was really nice to win and to play in Grand Rapids. I think coming into a major with a win always gives you confidence. Very excited to be here to see the course and hopefully have a good week here.
Q. I saw you at the range yesterday morning, and a lot of people coming to congratulate you and to tell you after your win you don't need to practice right away. There's something that drives you to come here right away and start practicing, so what is it?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I love what I do. This week is a little different from others, having a Pro-Am on Tuesday, and I'm not in the Pro-Am, so I felt like I had to go practice and play nine holes yesterday. I'm not playing today.
Yeah, just I enjoy what I do, and I wanted to go to the range and hit a few shots and get a couple of good feelings for this week with my coach. That's what I did. Yeah, all good now.
Q. From the holes you were able to play, what impressions did you draw from the course?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I played the front nine, and I think the course is very open. I think it's important to hit fairways out here. I think from the fairway you can play and you can score. If you're in the rough it's going to be tricky. It's pretty thick Bermuda and you have bunkers short of the green that's going to be hard to hit it over those.
But, yeah, I think fairways and greens in major championships are really important.
Q. I realize it's been eight years since your last, but in your experience of playing after winning, do you feel like you play to a certain extent off of adrenaline and momentum, or is it kind of hard to bounce back the following week? After a big win.
CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah, I think after winning, it may be hard to play good again, but I think I'm in that position that I've been here for many, many years. I've played a lot of major championships, and I think I know what I have to do.
Winning last week, I think it just gives you confidence coming into this week. Yeah, I'm excited for the week. Hopefully I can have a little bit of rest and be ready for Thursday.
Q. In between your previous win and the win on Sunday, you've had lots of success in the team format with Solheim Cup victories. I'm curious what was the celebration like winning as an individual versus winning as a team recently?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I think everyone loves winning. For me, I'm a big competitor. I love being out there, fighting, and just competing. That's what I love doing.
Usually winning is very special, but it was more special to just be very present and follow a good process on the course from day one to day four. Yeah, finishing at the end, especially with those three birdies on the last five holes, birdie-birdie finish, it was a lot of fun to be in contention again, to be up there.
We had a good battle with Hye-Jin Choi. She played great too.
Q. With this tournament being at the home of the PGA, the home course, and kind of have a lot more events here, probably have another KPMG here, what do you think about having a home course that you come back to multiple times as opposed to a place you play once and may never see again?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I don't mind where to play. Usually wherever we play I think it's good, but I do like historic venues and courses that have history that we played before or other courses.
I think this is a fun course to play. I haven't seen the whole course, but I do like when we go to play courses that they have history.
Q. You're one of 15 winners on Tour this year. What do you make of that? There are no multiple winners.
CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah, very happy to be one of them. I think I've been playing very solid. I'm very consistent this year. I'm happy and proud of that to be up there in contention more often.
Yeah, I think winning out here is getting tougher and tougher. Lots of really good players, especially lots of youngsters, also good Japanese and Korean and Asians and even Americans.
Like I think it's not easy, so I'm happy I can still compete at this high level. I still love it, so it's a nice feeling.
Q. I know you had a chance to talk to Craig Kessler. Have you had much interaction with him before, I think it was yesterday, and what's that been like? What do you think of him?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: I don't know him much, but he did send me a message, I think the week before Grand Rapids, just to introduce himself. Yeah, if he could do anything or what did he think the LPGA needs? I think that was really nice.
Then I had the chance to meet with him yesterday. He came to the range and said hi. He seems very happy to take this job and very -- I think he's looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully he can do a great job for us. I think coming from the golf world and how happy he looks, I think it's going to be good.
Q. Can you just speak to the fact -- getting a win off your back like that, how much does that free you up for the rest of the season knowing you've played pretty well at the KPMG Women's PGA before?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah, I think when you win, especially after so many years, it's a feeling of being a little bit relieved. I think now -- I love competing every week, so for me it doesn't really change. I'm just going to go out there and try to do my thing every day, try to be my best every day.
It's a feeling like, yeah, I did it, I can do it again, and hopefully I can do a couple more times this year.
Q. There's been a lot of different winners at this major over the years, a lot of different golf games, a lot of different styles. I know they pride themselves on setting up a golf course to really bring the entire field into it. You've played well here before. What is it you like about the setup from the PGA of America side at the KPMG Women's PGA?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: Yeah, I like tough, I like major championships. I think it requires you to be mentally very present out there. I think it's a good ball striker's course. Fairways and greens are really important. You need to make putts, but I think if you're good from tee to green, you're going to have a chance on the weekend on Sunday. So I really enjoy that.
Q. How do you adjust from a grass type, playing bent, maybe a little bit of poa in there last week, and to come in here and it's all Bermudagrass. What do you do to switch your brain?
CARLOTA CIGANDA: You have three days to practice, so go out there and practice. Especially with short game, it's important to hit a few shots and see how the body is reacting from all the different lies.
The grass is perfect. Like the fairways, the greens, it's in such great shape, so I don't think there's any excuses. Yeah, just go to the short game area and do some chipping; also on the course. I think it's important to see how is the ball reacting on the greens, but yes, you just need to adjust.
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