Azahara Munoz - Coates Golf Championship

ROUND 1 INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT: AZAHARA MUṄOZ
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Q. How tough was it cold-wise out there at the end?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: At the end was pretty bad. The last probably three or four
holes when the wind started going down, especially we actually had it right on our
face, so it was hard to see and then it was getting really cold. But thankfully the wind
dropped down so at least we had that going for us, but it was pretty chilly.
Q. This has been a tough course for everybody, there weren't a lot of low
scores. Talk about what kind of got you going.
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I hit lots of fairways, and when I missed it I missed it by about a
yard so I was always pretty good. I hit my irons really well. I think I hit 17 greens.
The only green I missed was No. 13, but actually hit a really good shot but it came all
the way down just off the green but I was still putting. So I gave myself a lot of
opportunities and I made them, too, so I rolled the ball pretty good. Sometimes if I
didn't hit a really good shot and had a longer putt, I made a couple nice, five-,
six-footers for par so that got me going.
Q. Were you worried at all about finishing?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I wasn't. I knew we were going to be all right. I knew a lot of
people were going to struggle. Even the last group was going to struggle anyways
but now they're definitely not going to be done. So no, not at all.
Q. How much motivation is there in a Solheim Cup year?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: It's a lot. It's such a good event. I only have played two so far
and they've been probably the best two weeks of my golfing career. So much fun, so
much fun playing with 11 teammates and all the captains and helpers and caddies.
So anytime you have a chance to make something like that, a team, you want to be
there.
Q. A lot of motivation, too, I would think with the Americans playing well. A lot
of momentum with y'all and Spain and Sweden finishing one-two at the
International Crown as well, right?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: Yeah, that was good for Europe. Yeah, I mean, we won the
last two, but I know that the Americans are going to come out strong. Sometimes you
learn more from your mistakes or from your failures. So I mean everybody says, well,
you won the last two, but the Americans are still the better team. We are the
underdogs. I think anytime you go to Solheim we're always going to be the
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underdogs, and we're just going to give our best and hopefully get that.
Q. What did you do during the break? Did you work hard on your game or did
you just rest?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I rested for a little while. All December I was here for a couple
weeks, I went to a wedding, my fiance's sister got married. Then I went to South
Carolina with him for a week, so took it easy. And then once I got home, what I would
do is I would go three, four times a week for a couple of hours so I wouldn't forget. A
couple years ago I took a whole month off and it was really hard to get back. So what
I did, I worked out really hard and then maybe practiced, just hit balls for an hour and
a half or two whenever I felt like. If I didn't feel like it, I didn't. But then I came back
on January 3rd and I've been working really hard since.
Q. Is it something that you saw coming where were you feeling like, wow, my
game's really coming together?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I think so. I've had a really good off-season. I worked on
things I needed to improve. I mean, sometimes you work really hard and it doesn't
turn out. Like I was really not expecting to come out and shoot 6-under but I'll take it.
But yeah, ever since I started to work really hard with -- you know, those hour and a
half, two hours that I've been doing in December, I was working on things, I was really
focused. Like I wasn't just beating balls or whatever, I was just working on technique
and stuff. So once I got back, kind of technique, I already got it, so I was more
playing and working a lot on my short game.
Q. How hard is it to get started because the wind was kind of picking you up
when you first teed off? How much of a factor was that?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: It wasn't too bad. Actually today was the least windy day. My
Sunday and Monday and yesterday in the pro-am was windier, so today was actually
to me played the shorter. Like practice rounds, the course was playing really long. A
couple holes were still playing pretty long, but other than that I felt like the course
played a little easier today.
Q. Did you catch a break? You don't have to go out early tomorrow, right?
You don't have to go out really early?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: 8:10, pretty early. I don't know how it's going to go with the -Q. The finisher-uppers, maybe push it back a little bit.
AZAHARA MUNOZ: Yeah.
Q. Are you worried about that at all or dreading it?
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AZAHARA MUNOZ: No, it is what it is. I mean, the good thing about here is it's a
dry cold, so if you put clothes on you should be all right.
Q. You would think so.
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I hope so.
Q. It's not like you haven't played in it before?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: Exactly. I mean, I live in Palm Beach, I'm used to this.
Q. You said that you guys have won the last two Solheims but you said the
Americans are definitely the better team. Could you explain that?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I mean, if you look at the rankings, it's really obvious they
have -- I mean I haven't looked at the rankings but Stacy's not No. 1 right now but
she's been No. 1 the last two. And they've got Lexi, they've got Cristie, they've got
Paula, they've got Morgan, Brittany.
Q. You didn't say Wie.
AZAHARA MUNOZ: Michelle, sorry. Michelle, which is higher up than the other
ones I said. But if you look at the rankings, they are the team to beat. So, I mean, we
are still the underdogs.
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