FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP

March 21, 2026

Gaby Lopez

Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. We're here with Gaby after the third round of the Fortinet Founders Cup. Can you talk about today's rounds from your perspective?

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, it was a fun round. Playing with Hyo Joo is always a great scenario to kind of come to play your best. She did an amazing job. Started off really, really hot and I struggled on the first couple holes. Hit a really, really good drive on No. 2 that ended up in a bunker that I never expected.

But from there it was very solid. I stayed very patient. I knew I was going to have some chances and I just kept believing and trusting that process.

Q. Talk about the eagle on 7.

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I hit a perfect drive, a little fade. Then I had a like baseball lie and I hit the perfect 3-wood I think probably of my life. It was just perfect contact. Just drew and it was like 254 to like two feet.

It was like a great bonus after staying patient. You know that that pays off.

Q. Yeah, and can you talk about I think we talked about it a little bit yesterday when you were in the booth, but how do you think this course has changed over the past couple days and from the times you played and maybe how you think tomorrow will change?

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I was really expecting to have much firmer greens today. I wanted it to play hard and tough. I mean, I think they were scared of burning the greens or getting too firm and they watered them. I texted Mitch and asked him how it's going to be playing compared to yesterday and he said softer.

It was a little bummer for me because I really wanted to get like a tougher condition. I'm really expecting that tomorrow they don't keep them as wet. Maybe a little more challenging to kind of have some numbers and thinking and landing areas.

But, yeah, very happy with the job that my caddie and my team have done with me.

Q. Why do you think you like the challenge?

GABY LOPEZ: I just feel that I don't put so much pressure on myself to birdie every single hole. When we go let's say to Thailand, I know there will be like 8-under after 13 holes the leaders. Mentally I feel that I'm more comfortable hitting a much tougher shot and getting the best out of that situation.

So I don't know I really like the challenge of this golf course. You can tell there is not many low scores overall, other than Hyo Joo. But, yeah, it's fun. It's a really fun event.

Q. You talked the other day about looking at your career a different way than your rookie season. What stands out to you as still one of the most fun parts of being a professional golfer?

GABY LOPEZ: Honestly I that I'm enjoying it the most, because once you get on Tour the beginning is always tough. Probably the first year is probably the easiest because you don't have any idea who is who or what you're doing and come here really fearless.

Then the second, third, fourth, they come a little bit more difficult. Now you put tags on everything and you say oh, I didn't have my best performance this week and this golf course; I don't like this shot. So now you have all these memories.

Our job as professional athletes is being able to cleanse every single week and not sticking to the bad and negative thoughts or memories. At the end it's scar tissue and everyone has them, but the more the lighter you come the next day, the next tournament and cleanse that memory, it just becomes much easier to go forward.

Right now I'm just -- I don't care what happens tomorrow. I don't care if I end up high enough or -- I just care that I'm going out there and feeling the nerves and embracing those situations mentally that I know I can have a mental challenge, but then overcome that fear or obstacle that probably in the past I didn't.

Q. And then you mentioned you got a lot of support out here especially from some of the staff at Sharon Heights. Talk about that.

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, Sharon Heights community has been amazing. All the staff, groundskeepers, everyone in the kitchen, they keep rooting me on. They're Mexicans or they're Latin, so I just keep talking to them in Spanish and telling them they're going to have that Mexican flag high on the top to have some inspiration to them.

On the tenth fairway you can see 20 or 25 guys all wearing blue and, hey, Gaby, vamos. It's really fun to see they're proud of where they come from and so am I.

Q. I was going to say you always make a point to thank the groundskeepers. That's something very unique about you. Not everyone does that. Talk about why you do that.

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, I like to have and to keep Lorena's tradition going back to the kitchen or back to the groundskeepers, showing them all the support that like I can have from them and they can have from me.

Because I feel that sometimes we don't value the amount of work put behind an event. We just show up and play golf, right? The amount of work, these people are waking up at 2:00, 3:00 a.m. and they're going to bed at 12:00. They deserve a big round of applause.