RIVIERA MAYA OPEN

April 28, 2026

Nataliya Guseva

El Camaleón Golf Course

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome the media center ar the 2026 Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba. Joined by Nataliya Guseva. Just talk a little bit about playing here in Mexico.

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I would say it's always a pleasure coming here. How the way they treat us, I feel like in general being here is more like a vacation. I was saying I think last year as well. I mean, the weather, the nature as well. Good food, good guacamole, good margaritas.

It's definitely great being out here, and we're so delighted to show some good golf and hopefully will play well this week.

Q. Have you gotten a chance to see the course yet?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Yeah. I played actually both back and front nine, so it was awesome. Like the course is always I feel like in good condition out here. I was talking to one of the managers and he was saying like how they prepared the golf course and how they are delighted to have us out here.

It's such a tight course and requires like really good shots, like precision shots out there. It's definitely going to be a windy week, so I feel like it kind of feels like a Hawai'i in a way for me.

But at the same time the course is so tight, so you have to definitely bring your A game out here.

Q. My question is: What's the best memory of golf in Mexico?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I would say probably best memory is definitely good food. I'm kind of a foodie person in general so obviously like coming out here the first thing I ordered was guacamole and nice margarita. I definitely enjoy the whole nature. It was great seeing lots of raccoons running around.

So it doesn't feel very serious in a way event. For example we just played like last week in Houston and you kind of felt like it was a major. I feel like coming out here I'm more on a vacation vibe in a way. So it's definitely for me probably one of my favorite like things out here, you know, seeing everyone smiling, everyone like just delighted having us out here.

Even for the girls, all the girls are so happy to be out here. I mean, I'm the same way, so, yeah.

Q. What do you enjoy the most of being a golf player?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Probably the most that we got to see so many different places. I feel like obviously we travel so much to so many -- different states as well, but then we go all the way to Asia, Mexico, like seeing different cultures, different people, trying different foods.

I feel like all the time it can be really, really lonely out here but I'm trying to get out of it like the best things. You know, like meeting new people, getting to know different cultures, trying different foods.

So I think this is probably my favorite thing about being a professional golfer is definitely traveling.

Q. Do you think there is a kind of pressure to get a first win in LPGA Tour?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I mean, I feel like it would be definitely great winning out here. I feel like I always get a lot support here in Mexico, so definitely winning one of the first events here would be very, very delightful.

I'm not trying to think about like -- especially like winning or something. We all have those thoughts, but it's just very important to focus on more the process in a way and let the win kind of come to you and happen to you.

But that would be definitely the biggest goal, and like I would be very, very delightful and happy about it, yeah.

Q. You were here last year. What did you learn from this course and how do you think that can help you to have a better result this year?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Right. I would say it's obviously very windy conditions out here, so whenever -- I would say I'm pretty good player in general in windy conditions, kind of have that lower ball flight.

So it's great that I saw the golf course last year, knowing the greens, the layout already. Today I went to play front nine and I knew already all the lines and targets and where to hit the ball, how the greens are going react.

So I think I have a really good idea and it's going to definitely help me this week. So I'm very, very happy to put all of those knowledge into next four rounds and hopefully we show some good result.

Q. We know it's a course with you said a lot of wind; it's very difficult. How do you manage the pressure and how to be patient in key parts of the game?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I feel like it's very hard for any athlete to be patient out there. Obviously we -- especially golfers, we lose more than we win, so we really have to focus more on like kind of the process.

We had a good talk today with my caddie because obviously I kind of had a slow start into the year. I feel like every year is kind of different. You always have to take some like good notes into the next year or in general into your career.

So it's very important to really take it like step by step and knowing that all your work is going to pay off. It's very easy I feel like being, okay, this is not working; I'm just going to give up. But you have to keep fighting and just embrace every moment that it's going to help you for your next win.

I would say probably definitely just very important to focus on the process and staying in the moment.

Q. Sometimes you need to disconnect from the game. How do you do that? What do you like to do out of the course?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I would say obviously like I do a lot of stuff for my mind obviously to take it over in a way. I try to go and see something different. Like I try -- for example like here I would go and just sit on the beach and embrace the moment, like that golf brought me into such a beautiful place.

Obviously like we, all us of us athletes, have pressure, but I think it's very important to know that a lot of people would want to be in this moment right now and a lot of people would like kill to just like be here and playing on the LPGA Tour.

So I feel like it's very important to remind yourself that how hard in a way I worked for this, and it's very important to just kind of settle down and be like, it's all right. It's going to happen.

Like if I would sit down and tell myself when I was 15 years old that I'm going to be here at the press conference in Mexico playing on the LPGA Tour I would be like, there is no way I would be here.

It's just very important to know that everything happens for a reason, and everything is going to work out the way it's supposed to.

Q. Do you consider that Latin America should have more LPGA tournaments? I mean, Mexico the only one right now. What's your opinion about Mexico hosting on event like that and do you consider should be more here had this area?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Yes, I honestly really would love that. I would say Mexico stepped it out in a way, and having us like being here like knowing different cultures, especially like Latin America, I think it's amazing for the game, it's amazing for the Latin America golf in general.

It's a lot of girls I feel like are growing up and watching us playing so many different events, especially like here in Mexico. I'm pretty sure a lot of younger girls are kind of like, oh, I would love to be like that one day.

So I feel like showing the new generations that we're kind of growing the game, we're participating in Mexico and hopefully in some different countries as well.

I would love to see a lot of different other countries in Latin America and just travel and see so many beautiful stuff, because I think the world is in general like so beautiful, and playing golf somewhere in different countries is just playing feeling.

Growing the game like this would be amazing for me and for I feel like all the LPGA Tour golfers.

Q. What memories do you have of Lorena Ochoa and what does she mean to you?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Obviously growing up for me she was probably the idol in general. She was one of the biggest female golfers on the LPGA Tour. I would say just in general in whole golf. She had such an amazing short game in this general. Like watching her putting, her short game, I was growing up and like literally was trying to do kind of the same things.

So she was probably the one who kind of brought me into the game, which is so weird. Like I'm from Russia but I watched a Mexican LPGA Tour golfer who was like killing it out there. She is definitely the GOAT, so it's amazing having her like back in the day when she was winning all the tournaments.

So, yeah, she's amazing definitely.

Q. Just going to ask one more. You mentioned you're enjoying the vacation mode here this week.

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Yeah.

Q. How do you think that benefits you out on the course playing?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I feel like it's so good for your mental health in general, because obviously as I said before, like it's a very hard job. Like a lot of people would want to be on our spots right now, but I feel like it's very hard sometimes because we don't really win every time. Sometimes we miss cuts and sometimes we don't have good results.

I feel like it's so important to know that we get to travel and we get to spend such a beautiful time maybe with some loved ones. My mom is this week, so it's great to spend this time in such a beautiful town and such a beautiful hotel and playing like amazing golf course.

So I'm enjoying it and I think -- I'm pretty sure all the others are enjoying it as well. It's definitely great. I feel like it's great as well for you guys, for the LPGA Tour staff. So, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for your time.

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Thank you.