You have recently signed a new sponsorship agreement with Finca Cortesin. How important is it for your career to have the support of the resort and what does the sponsorship enable you to do?
Finca Cortesin has supported me ever since I turned professional in 2015 and I am extremely grateful and honoured to represent such an amazing place, not only golf and hotel wise, but also what the resort represents and the high level of customer service that they provide. I always recommend the resort to the people I play with on the Ladies European Tour and in any pro-am or event that I play. It means a lot to me and my brand to be linked with such an outstanding golf club, and even more so now as the host for the 2023 Solheim Cup. The sponsorship, apart from elevating my brand, also enables me to travel to tournaments and not to have to worry about the financial side of my career. I feel like they are a family of mine already.
Can I take you back to the time when you first visited Finca Cortesin and played the golf course? What were your first impressions?
Yes, it was some months before I first signed with them, and I was so excited to play there, because they are such a prestigious golf course and resort, and I knew I was going to have a great time. And I certainly did.
Life has changed for all of us over the last 12 months because of Covid 19. How have things changed for you as a professional golfer and what do you think life will be like on the Ladies European Tour when it resumes?
It has changed a lot for everybody and really it is quite difficult for us now because we have to be constantly in bubbles when we go to tournaments, and doing PCR tests. We can’t visit the cities that we’re playing in, so it is challenging mentally when you’ve been on the road a few weeks. But we have to be grateful just to have tournaments because we live for that and, honestly, I have to thank my sponsors, and especially Finca Cortesin, because they are a huge help during the time when you’re not competing. We need to live from something, and sponsors like them mean a lot.
Finca Cortesin will become the first course in Spain to host the Solheim Cup in 2023. What was your reaction when you first heard the news and what will staging such a prestigious event do for golf in the region?
I had no idea that this was happening because Vicente and James didn’t mention anything to me, so it was really a surprise when the announcement was made. However, I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later because Finca Cortesin represents so many values that tournaments like the Solheim Cup have. I am very happy that Finca Cortesin is the first golf venue in Spain to host such a great event because of the huge love and respect I have for the resort. It really deserves it. Golf is going to grow a lot in this area thanks to this because it is really an amazing event in an amazing venue, and I can’t wait for it to happen.
Hosting the Solheim Cup is part of Finca Cortesin’s long-term commitment to promoting women’s golf. How important is to have one of Europe’s top resorts leading the drive to raise the profile of ladies’ golf and attracting new players into the game?
It is very important; things like this are what we need to promote women’s golf. This is like a dream come true, and Finca Cortesin has shown me how much they support women’s golf and professionals like myself, so I only have kind words for them. This is going to help the golf game itself so much and especially women’s sports.
