KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2026

Gaby Lopez

Hazeltine National Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Gaby Lopez is with us now at the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Gaby, welcome to Hazeltine and your 11th KPMG Women's PGA Championship. How has the week been so far and how are you feeling about your game heading into tomorrow?

GABY LOPEZ: The week has been great. I remember the golf course a couple times, couple holes, and it's still spectacular. I feel that Hazeltine National Golf Club is such a great venue for us, for Ryder Cup, for such championship golf courses and tournaments.

So I don't know, I love the venue, and, yeah, I'm feeling ready and excited.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Gaby.

Q. Gaby, I mean, I will say you come very strong from the U.S. Open, no? Tell us about the new Gaby that's coming to a major now.

GABY LOPEZ: Yeah, you know, we all learn a lot from our mistakes when we go back and we analyze them. But I also feel we learn a lot when you perform well, and I'm learning that I am capable of holding myself into like the back nine of the a major championship on a Sunday.

I think that's awesome. It's really exciting. I'm learning that perspective means a lot out here in this game. Being able to change perspectives when things are going not well or well.

I'm trying to play a little more stress-free, a little bit more relaxed. Not too judgy in myself, not too hard, and be a little kinder and loving my game and just enjoying myself out there.

Q. It was such an impressive performance from you I know in front of a very friendly crowd. What did it mean to play that well in front of so many of your fellow Mexico natives and things of that nature?

GABY LOPEZ: It meant the world for me, especially because that venue, you know, it's going to hold the Olympic Games in 2028, and I really want to get to know the golf course as much as I could.

Yeah, it was hard; not going to lie. I was nervous. I was tense at the beginning of Sunday's round. The crowd didn't make it any easy on me. They were just yelling in Spanish, hey, you're going to win. Everything is going to go well. And you still have to hit the fairway. You still have to hit the green.

So being able to get locked in, and as the round past by and learning that golf rounds in the build up. There is nothing that you can score since hole No. 1. You have to build your round up, and you build it with good routines, with good feelings, with good rhythm, and the more you do that, then you find yourself a little more comfortable under pressure.

I think that's what happened. That putt on 18, I was way more comfortable at the beginning.

But, yeah, being able to play great in front of so many Mexicans, it was just like playing at home. It was great. I love the support. I love the staff at Riv I said before, and I give a lot of credit to how many how much that energy comes into play when we play in the U.S. Women's Open.

Q. I know you are really close with your grandmother. Did she get to watch or see any of it? Did she call you or have any words of wisdom?

GABY LOPEZ: Of course. My grandma, she's the wisest person I know. She just kept telling me, hey, you're not alone out there. Everyone is with you. Even God. Your grandpa in heaven. So I get emotional just by going back at it.

Yeah, I mean, just the amount of support of my family, team, everyone around me has been amazing.

Q. How motivated does that performance make you when you look ahead to a week like this?

GABY LOPEZ: I'm extra motivated. I mean, learning about yourself, that you can win a major championship, not a lot of girls, not a lot of players get to have that chance.

You know, it wasn't a chance to win, but it was a chance to be up there on the last three holes. So being able to learn that I can handle myself, I can just kind of stay patient and disciplined mentally, it was awesome.

I'm so excited and very motivated. I don't care what happens honestly. I'm just going to go out there brave and hit my shots, my targets, and see what happens.

Q. The fact that you're going to play with Jeeno, Charley this week, do you think it's a validation, recognition of the level of your golf right now?

GABY LOPEZ: I think so. My caddie keeps telling me, hey, you're doing things right. Like it was not a situation. It's more like a process that we've done very, very well.

So I feel like I love playing with the best players in the world and that's exactly where I want to be. That's exactly what I practice for, to put myself, to prove that I can compete against them. It's so fun honestly.

And, yeah, I feel the more nervous it is, the more nervous you get, the better it is, you know, the more fun you're going to have.

So I don't know, I feel that you feel those butterflies inside of you, it's a great sign.

Q. You were talking about the fans and the followers. This is not an accident. You've been cultivating and connecting with the Latinos and Latinas in the golf courses for a while. There is more and more Latinas and Latinos playing golf in the United States. Do you feel that week after week?

GABY LOPEZ: Oh, for sure. It's crazy because everywhere we go on Tour, doesn't matter if you're in Singapore, Thailand, there is a guy or girl wearing a green shirt in Mexico and they're just yelling, vamos, and that's awesome.

Yeah, it's great to have the support in the community. We don't have lots of Mexican players on Tour, we don't have lots of Mexican guys on the PGA TOUR, so being able to still feel the support especially right now. This summer we have the World Cup and Mexico is playing tonight, and I'm so excited. I brought my shirt and I'm going to wear it tonight.

I think the passion we have for anything, it's either -- could be soccer, could be cuisine, golf, anything, it's awesome. I think we all share the same feeling.