AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

March 31, 2026

Kiara Romero

Quick Quotes

Q. Kiara, building off of your experience last year, what do you look forward to as you step here again this week?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, the course is in great shape. I feel like I got such a great experience last year and learned so much from it. Just kind of come back here with a lot of confidence and a lot of trust in my game and the work I've put in. I'm just excited to play out here.

Q. What's the biggest difference, if any, that you've changed from last year to this year?

KIARA ROMERO: I would say I just kind of matured from it a little bit. Just got a lot of confidence in myself and not putting any limits on the possibilities out here and just kind of believe that I can come out here and win, do whatever.

Q. Obviously Champions Retreat is going to be a pretty firm golf course in comparison to the last couple years. How are you going to attack that?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I feel like it is a little bit firmer and faster, but hopefully the wind stays down. It was pretty nice today.

I remember the wind being pretty tough last year. But my ball-striking has been really good, so have a lot of confidence in that.

Q. Anything off the golf course this week that you're looking forward to?

KIARA ROMERO: I would just say my family being here and them being able to see me play and supporting me is always really fun, and having my sister on the bag, as well.

Q. What is that experience going to be like having your sister on the bag?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, it's always great having her by my side. She's been playing -- she's on the Epson Tour right now, so she's getting a lot of great experience in the pro world, so I've learned a lot from her, especially just seeing her play out there and picking her brain on how she looks at the course and stuff.

Obviously just having her by my side out there and just having fun with it.

Q. Any phrase or anything, any mantra that you're telling yourself this week to play your best?

KIARA ROMERO: Not exactly, but I feel like just focusing on the fact that there's limitless possibilities out here and just believing that I can come out here and play the best I can.

Q. You come in with that No. 1 ranked title. Is there any pressure or anything that you feel coming into this week, or is it business as usual?

KIARA ROMERO: No, I don't really think about that much. I feel like everyone is really competitive out here. Everyone is a great player. It's the best players in the world.

No pressure at all. I think just go out there -- if anything, it just gives me a little extra confidence.

Q. How do you describe what that field is like because it's not like a normal, everyday college tournament. It's Augusta National, and you're playing against a lot of really great golfers. I think it's 40 of the top 50 or something like that. What's it like to have such a competitive field?

KIARA ROMERO: I think it's great. Makes it a lot more fun for sure, just to kind of see how your game matches up against everyone else. I feel like we're all out here supporting each other and rooting for each other and we're also being super competitive and wanting to beat each other.

It's a really fun experience, and for it to be the final round at Augusta National, it's obviously really fun.

Q. What's it mean to you to be able to participate and play in a tournament like this that's so unique here at Augusta and Champions?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I feel like I kind of grew up watching this tournament, and just seeing all these golfers play it, I feel like to be here, I kind of have to take a step back and remember that this is something that I always thought about when I was little and always kind of worked towards.

Yeah, just kind of taking a step back and realize how far I've come, and just to be able to play on this stage, I'm really grateful for it.

Q. What's the camaraderie like at this event? Obviously you've played here a few times now, and Megha and Amanda. What's the camaraderie like for you guys?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I think we've all played against each other growing up, and a lot of us are close friends. We get to play with whoever we want on the practice rounds, which is really fun, and just kind of be out here and kind of realize that it's not that serious. It's not life and death. This is a sport that I want to play as a career, so it's something that I enjoy, so I try to come out here and have the most fun that I can with my sister and with my friends out here, as well.

Q. What does it mean to have your sister by your side for this tournament?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, it means a lot. I've always looked up to her as a player and as a person. Just having her by my side, it makes it so much more fun and so much more special. I know what a great player she is, so she has a lot of information out there, as well.

Q. Were you seeking some kind of advice from her out on the course today? What were those discussions like?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, for sure. She's been competing on the Epson Tour, so I just really look up to her as a player, and when she's out there, I know she's not taking it too serious. She's out there having fun. She's enjoying it and she's being super competitive at the same time. That's something that I always try to do, so yeah.

Q. Did she have a special message for you going into tomorrow's round?

KIARA ROMERO: I think to just trust my game and have fun while doing it and try my best, and that's really all I can do.

Q. Having the experience of playing out here several times, you talked earlier about this is not a life-or-death tournaments, but it is one of the more unique tournaments with two golf courses involved if you make the weekend. Having that experience of playing there last year and finishing in the top 10, what's it like to go from here over to Augusta National on Saturday?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, obviously competing in a final round at Augusta is a pretty cool experience, and not a lot of people get to do that. We try to grasp the experience the best we can, and I think I learned so much from it last year being in that final round, in the final group, playing with the No. 1 amateur in the world at the time.

There are obviously a lot of people watching, so it was a great experience. I learned a lot from it. I'm super excited to be back here.

Q. Five golfers last year only played No. 16-under par out of the rest of the field. How hard is that hole, and what makes it so challenging for everybody?

KIARA ROMERO: I would say the tee shot is obviously super hard. You've got a bunker and you can't go over it because there's a tree hanging over. Hitting that tee shot is obviously super hard, but you have to just trust your shot, trust your swing and look at it, look at the small targets out there and just focus on where you want to land the ball. Yeah, I think I did pretty good with that.