“I feel much more prepared than a year ago.” This is how Carla Bernat summarises her performance at the Women’s Spanish Open after finishing the week among the top fifteen in the tournament.
“Before, I used to get more nervous, without many expectations, but this week I’ve realised that I have the level to be there, I’ve played very well from tee to green.” She knows she needs to sharpen her short game, although she finds it difficult to practice more: “In Kansas, it’s now impossible to train outdoors due to the snow and cold,” she says with a laugh.
Psychologically, she acknowledges that she has made great progress at the Spanish Open. “When I miss a shot, I always feel a bit of anger and a lot of anxiety, I want to get there as soon as possible to see how the ball is positioned. I’ve learned with my caddie how to distract ourselves on the way to the ball. We hum a song and the other has to guess what it is. It’s a small thing, but it has helped me a lot to disconnect. I’ll take it with me for life,” the Spaniard confessed. Everyone has their tricks, and it seems this one has worked for Carla.
Right after finishing a more than remarkable performance at Guadalhorce, she sat down in front of the microphones of Ten Golf to review the past few months and, above all, to preview what lies ahead in an exciting 2025.
The Spanish amateur will begin her fourth and final year at Kansas State University in January. It can be said with great pride that she is having a very high-level university stage. Ranked among the top thirty in the world, she has won four times across the pond, was runner-up in the European Individual Championship a year ago, has participated twice in the prestigious ANWA, and has achieved countless good results individually.
She is part of the so-called golden generation of Spanish amateur players who are shining worldwide. Julia López, who recently confirmed her move to professionalism and was the World Amateur Number One, Cata Fernández, Andrea Revuelta, Paula Martín, Carol Chacarra, Blanca Fernández, and Carla Tejedo. Alongside them, Carla Bernat’s name stands out prominently.
However, it is true that for various reasons, the name of the player from Arkansas always appears in the picture associated with this great generation, but perhaps in the background. These are just a few examples, but Julia has been World Number One and European Individual Champion, Cata has been second in the ranking, Andrea was fifth this week at the Open, and despite her great results, Carla Bernat may not have had as much spotlight.
Without sounding pretentious and being a great companion and friend to all of them, Carla knows it’s her turn to step up. It’s time to make a statement.
In fact, she acknowledges it and, for example, speaking about comparisons in her club, she says: “I always go unnoticed, I feel like I’m not taken into account as much, for example, the spotlight in my club has always been on Josele Ballester and Carla Tejedo, and I’ve been a bit more in the background.” There’s not a hint of envy or resentment, she simply knows she has the level to compete with the best and is going all out to achieve it.
The Spaniard is very clear about her medium-term plans. By the end of 2025, she will finish her degree, a stage she wants to close no matter what, and she is looking into doing the last semester online because her golfing vision is also clear. By the end of summer or early autumn, she will make the leap to professional status.
She wants to enjoy these last months. The Valencian doesn’t want to rush and has several events that excite her: “I would love to win the conference title with Arkansas and why not the Nationals, I want to say goodbye well and play for Spain next summer, and one of the events I’m most looking forward to is the ANWA.”
Carla is almost guaranteed her presence in this last mentioned event, the prestigious American tournament. She is eager to do something big in what will be her third participation: “The first year I didn’t make the cut, this year I did and was able to play at Augusta, finishing in the top 17. On this third occasion, I want to make a splash and be fighting for big things.” She clearly has it marked in red on her calendar.
Another major event she has etched in her mind is the US Amateur. No Spaniard has won it, and the example of her neighbour Josele Ballester’s victory has fuelled her desire to be the first in Spain. So much so that she already has the caddie lined up, none other than Alberto Ballester, who carried Josele’s bag in August when he was crowned US Amateur champion: “If I go, it’s to do the double,” Alberto told Carla.
Make no mistake, this last year will require close attention because Carla Bernat is going to attract a lot of attention.
