Plenty of ‘Vamos’ but Spanish duo staying calm
THERE will be rallying cries aplenty at the Solheim Cup this week. As tasty approach shots land here and putts drop there, you won’t need to be a linguist to decipher that things are getting lively.
“I love making putts and screaming ‘vamos’,” said Spain’s Carlota Ciganda of the pumped-up passion that can come tumbling forth in any language.
Alongside her compatriot, Azahara Munoz, this Spanish duo will both be making their fourth appearance in the Solheim Cup and while the excitement and energy of the frontline always stirs the senses, their experiences have taught them to keep a check on the emotions.
“I think being super passionate is great,” noted Munoz, a five-time winner on the Ladies European Tour. “But you have to be careful because these tournaments drain so much energy out of you.
“Obviously if you make a putt, you’re going to fist pump and get a little wild, but you still need to be calm and save your energy a lot.”
The tight-knit nature of European golf has always been seen as a valuable commodity in this particular arena and Munoz is certainly enjoying the camaraderie of this latest European union. Boris Johnson take note eh?
“I think that playing as a team comes very natural to Europeans,” added the 31-year-old. “As soon as we came to Gleneagles four weeks ago to play a practice round here, we all got along so well.
“We tend to do everything in groups and I think that really helps us. Carlota and I were talking last night and I don’t remember the last time I laughed so much.
“Every dinner is just non-stop. We were joking how we had to get the physio to work on our faces because I was sore from laughing.”
The USA, meanwhile, had the last laugh in the Junior Solheim Cup yesterday as they edged out a spirited European side by a 13-11 margin on the King’s course.