Nuria Iturrioz achieved the most important victory of her career this Sunday by winning the Aramco Houston Championship. She had already won four times, other good tournaments, such as the Lalla Meryem Cup, twice, the Omega Dubai Classic or La Sella Open. That’s what Nuria is like, a player who seems built for the big occasions, at least in the Ladies European Tour. She’s a kind of sharpshooter. You don’t see her, she doesn’t show herself, but suddenly she appears and takes all the spoils. All the previous ones were very good, but this is the best and has a special connotation. She achieved it in the United States, the territory that had resisted her until now. We’re talking about the LPGA Tour circuit. The Balearic has tried, but so far it is a bar she has not been able to surpass. This victory in Houston, even though it’s from the LET, has a different symbolic value. It helps her believe that she certainly has a place in the world’s most important women’s circuit.
Iturrioz gana en Houston y da otro paso en su ‘conquista’ del mapamundi
Her best victory probably came when she least expected it. It hasn’t been an easy summer for Nuria. The Mallorcan herself acknowledged this as soon as the tournament ended. “I’ve had a very big slump this summer. I didn’t feel confident and practically lost the desire to train,” she confessed. However, it was precisely the training that allowed her to lift a new trophy. “I locked myself away for three weeks with my coach, we worked a lot and very well and now I’m very happy. It turned out to be a dream week, very solid, I even left several good birdie options along the way, but what does it matter, here I am with the trophy,” she said with a beaming smile.
Nuria had several chances of victory this year, but whether it was Sunday or the weekend, things didn’t go her way and she ended up falling out of the fight. Quite the opposite of what she has always shown. She lacked the finishing touch. It happened at the Lalla Meryem Cup, her sanctuary, Australia, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. It’s as if she had forgotten how to win. That’s why this triumph in Houston, against players of the calibre of Carlota Ciganda, Charley Hull, or Mimi Rhodes, is especially comforting for her. “In those three weeks with my coach, we managed to put everything in order. Then, we’ve done an excellent job with my caddie, David Floyd, who for me is like part of my family. He knew how to calm me when needed, like on the 18th, and I’m also very happy for him.
In a way, even though it’s not an LPGA Tour tournament, Iturrioz has removed a thorn. “I really wanted to win one of these PIF Global Series events. I had already won as part of the team, but it’s different to do it individually. It’s very special to achieve it here, in the United States. Knowing that I’ve been trying to reach the LPGA and seeing that I can play well on these courses is very good. This year has been tough. I’ve been up there four times trying to win. It was hard to get the victory. It was great to have Charley, Mimi, and Carlota pushing at the top of the leaderboard. Here anyone can sign a very low round. You know you have to stick to your own game and try to do your best because if you fail, someone will take advantage. I tried to make all the birdies I could.”
It’s Nuria’s fifth victory in the Ladies European Tour. She ties in the second historical position of Spanish golf in the European circuit with Azahara Muñoz. Ahead is only Carlota Ciganda with eight wins. It is also the first Spanish victory in the LET in 2025 and the 41st in history. In the LPGA, the Navarrese Ciganda had already managed to win this year.
