There are two players who this week are experiencing one of the most special tournaments of their careers. Paula Martín and Carolina López Chacarra will play in the US Women’s Open, the first Major of their careers.
The two amateurs secured their tickets to Erin Hills through the qualifying rounds for the second Major of the year. Julia López also achieved it through the same route, but for the Andalusian, it will be the third major event of her career after playing the last two Women’s Opens. Also joining the competition this week are Carlota Ciganda and Carla Bernat.
Carol has experienced her last season as a university player at Wake Forest. In the coming weeks, she will make the leap to professional status. The Madrid native is experiencing a more than interesting moment of maturity and in recent months has achieved the best results of her university stage. Two victories, eight top tens, including the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and her best-ever ranking. Carol is already one of the top twenty amateurs in the world.
“I am happy to be here, it is a reward for the hard work done throughout my university years. In fact, I am here with Ryan Potter, my coach from Wake Forest, and this is our last tournament together,” says Chacarra. “I am lucky that my parents are also here, and the truth is that sharing a tournament with the golfers I have watched play since I was little is a dream come true.”
For Paula, it is also a year of consolidation. Her second year in the United States has brought her two individual victories, and she is already established among the top fifteen in the world. She has reached as high as ninth. As a team, she has just missed out on victory in the Nationals for the second consecutive year. In that last tournament of the university season, she finished fourth and fought for the win until the last day.
Paula, who is accompanied this week by her coach Alejandro Larrazábal, acknowledges that she arrives happily at the event: “My first US Open, my first Major, I am very happy to be here. The course is very demanding, and the field with the best players in the world is even more challenging.”
The Stanford player already knows what the main challenge is: “The main difference from what we are used to is the course setup. At the amateur level, we usually play demanding courses, but the preparation this week is made for an event of this level. The course is long, the rough is very high.” Welcome to the US Women’s Open.
Regarding the week’s objectives, Paula is straightforward: “Obviously, every time I come to a tournament, I want to give it my all, but I take this week as a reward, and I think it’s essential to enjoy it. It’s my first Major, and I want to enjoy it.”
If there is something that unites the four young players present at Erin Hills, it is their admiration for Carlota Ciganda. Respecting her space, but Carlota is always ready to lend a hand and welcome those who arrive. In this US Women’s Open, it has been no different. “On Monday, I was able to play a round with her, and afterwards, we had dinner together. I am very happy to have her as a role model and that she pays us so much attention,” says Paula. Carol agrees: “The other day, all the Spanish players had dinner together, and it’s wonderful that a player of her stature takes such good care of us.”
