AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 3, 2025

Carla Bernat Escuder

Quick Quotes

Q. Great round today. Can you talk about just your play today and how you feel about your position going into the final round?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Today I played pretty well. My irons were pretty good too.

I had a couple of shakes in the back nine. I had two holes that I was pretty close with making bogey early in the back, but I think I handled myself really well.

Mentally it was a tough day. I knew I needed to do a good first nine holes to stay okay in the classification, and then after that, I was just like, let's just play.

At the end of kind of like played better because I was like you don't have more holes, so you've got to start playing better.

Q. How did you get to K-State?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: I was at Tulane and my coach transferred. When he got there, I guess he had a scholarship for me, and I just transferred with him.

Q. Can you tell me a little about your background in Spain growing up in the game?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: I started playing tennis in the golf course. So in the breaks of tennis, I would go hit balls. I guess I started liking more golf than tennis. At some point I just changed sports.

Yeah, my dad played too a little bit, but I started beating him pretty early, so he stopped playing.

I am from the south of Spain, so I have pretty good weather. I play all year round.

Q. Why did you like golf more than tennis?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: I think golf is more social, I would say. Tennis is more like individual. I don't know, I like hanging out with my friends in the golf course and playing games against them.

You can also play longer golf. Like during the day you can play for six hours, while tennis, like six hours you can't.

Q. You get too tired?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Yeah.

Q. There are a lot of good Spanish players in college golf right now. Are you close to some of them or on the national team?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Yeah, I am. One of my best friends is Cayetana. We've been playing together in every foursome in the European teams. Yeah, she's like a sister for me.

Q. Do you have any Spanish heroes in golf?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: I mean, Jon Rahm for me, Rafael Nadal. Those are the big ones. Sergio Garcia. His dad is my coach, my swing coach.

Yeah, they make me want to be better just seeing them.

Q. How long has his dad been your swing coach?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Since I'm 13. Yeah, I changed golf courses. I started on a nine-hole golf course, and when I started actually wanting to do something with golf, I went to a farther one from my house that it's the one that he was -- he's a pro in, yeah.

Q. Are you close with Jose then?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Yeah, I am. We started playing tennis together, and we changed to golf more or less at the same time.

Q. How nice was it to see him win the Am last year?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Oh, it was awesome. I went to high school with him too, so it was amazing. Actually, the guy that caddied for him is following me this week because he's our regional coach too. He's like my brother.

Q. And then sleeping on the lead, with most tournaments normally you only have to do that one night going into the final round. This tournament it's going to be two. Is that going to be tough for you at all, or how are you going to approach that?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: I think I'm going to sleep okay because I can chase instead of be chased in this moment, right? I like chase more than being chased.

I am excited to just go out there tomorrow, see the course again, get the speed. The day before the competition, I will just go to bed early, and hopefully I fall asleep easy.

Q. Are you going to take the mindset that you are chasing even if you are in the lead?

CARLA BERNAT ESCUDER: Yeah, I mean, I came here to win, right? I don't want to think about people behind me, just in front.