CPKC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 19, 2026

Kiara Romero

Royal Mayfair Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, joining us ahead of the 2026 CPKC Women's Open is Kiara Romero. Kiara, this is your debut as a professional. You earned your LPGA Tour card through the LEAP program. Can you just tell us a little bit about what you're excited for this week?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to be out here. You know, it's my first pro start. I've had a bunch of pro tournaments I've played in this past summer, but it's definitely a lot different when you're actually a pro.

I'm just really excited to be out here and test my game.

Q. You, like I mentioned, earned your card through the LEAP program. Can you just talk about that program and how much of a goal it was for to you get that 20 points?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I feel like it's something I've kind of been working on all year, is my big goal was to get my Tour card this year. I'm just really glad I did it.

Yeah, feel like I've had a lot of success with my golf game this past year.

Q. And then ahead of this week, obviously you played at the University of Oregon. Talk about how playing in college prepared you for being out here as a professional.

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, it was definitely a little bit different. It was really fun to be able to have the opportunity to play with teammates and play for something bigger than just yourself. We were representing our college.

Yeah, I think it was a lot of fun. There was a lot of tournaments where we had ups and downs out there, and you always have to come back with the same mindset and not let yourself get too down out there.

Q. You have a lot of friends on Tour. I know you are close with Alexa Pano for one. How does it feel to be alongside some of those friends you watched play on Tour for the last few seasons?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, it's really great to have them by my side because they kind of help me out here. I have a lot of questions when I'm out here, and so they help me with that.

Just seeing how comfortable they are with it. Obviously like this is my first tournament so it's a little bit different for me, but just seeing how they handle things and handle the crowd and playing on TV all the time. Obviously like it's very competitive out here, so I'm learning a lot from them.

Q. What kind of questions were you asking your friend about being a professional golfer?

KIARA ROMERO: Some of them I would think are a little bit dumb questions.

Q. Like what?

KIARA ROMERO: Like I was asking when pros usually fly into tournaments. For college golf, junior golf, you fly in, play one practice round the next day, and just go.

On Tour there is obviously a lot of back to back weeks, so you'll be flying straight from one tournament to the next and you'll have a couple days ahead of you to kind of regroup and do practice rounds and stuff.

I think that's a transition I need to get used to, just being on the road for weeks in a row and not just flying in and going straight into tournament golf.

Q. Different being part of a team as opposed to now you're singularly on a golf course as a professional? You could count on your teammates as a college player.

KIARA ROMERO: I feel like it's more back to that junior golf deal. You know, I feel like all the tournaments I've played up until the last two years have always been individual, so having that experience of having a team around you and, like I said, playing for something bigger than yourself and having people around you is a great experience and definitely like taught me a lot.

Q. When you're first joining a pro tour, are there people you look up to? Are you trying to play in a tournament and not be starstruck? These are people you probably saw on TV.

KIARA ROMERO: I really admire how recently Nelly has been talking about the more do you like kind of affects you a little bit more. Sometimes less is better. I think I have that mindset a lot. Just kind of treating every tournament the same.

At the end of the day it's just golf. It's a sport that I've been playing for over ten years, and so I definitely know how to do it. Sometimes we kind of psych ourselves out when we go to these tournaments and make it a big deal.

I like how she's really comfortable out here and kind of enjoying the moment and playing her golf game.

Q. Is there a strata on a pro tour where the rookies hang with the rookies or do you hang with any the established players or just stay away for now?

KIARA ROMERO: I'm still kind of learning on that side. I definitely have like a couple friends. My old teammates out here as well. I kind of just hang around them and play practice rounds with them which is a lot of fun.

Q. What's your opinion of the golf course here? Everybody keeps talking about the mosquitos. You wearing long sleeves or what're you doing?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I'm definitely going to have wear a jacket out there. The mosquitos are not great. It kind of gets better throughout the afternoon and stuff.

I think I'm really glad to be back out in these golf courses that I kind of see back home. Obviously like the European golf that I've had this last summer was a lot different, and it's just nice to be back on the golf courses that I'm used to.

Q. We asked Nelly if she likes older style golf courses as opposed to if you played in Europe you played on links courses. This is an older style golf course with big trees and stuff like that as opposed to a brand new one. What do you feel about that?

KIARA ROMERO: I think it's a lot -- very similar to your golf course that we have at Oregon. Kind of reminds me exactly like at Eugene Country Club. So yeah, kind of fits my eye and I really like it and I'm excited to play it.

Q. I'm just wondering when you see like a Lydia Ko or Brooke Henderson or Nelly Korda, are you in awe of them as a young player or do you view them as opponents, people you have to beat?

KIARA ROMERO: I definitely like when I was younger like they're the girls that I looked up to. It's kind of surreal being out here, being in the same field and playing on the same level as them.

I definitely have a lot of respect for them and I definitely view them as competitors now.

Q. What are the nerves like? You've been playing golf since not long after you could walk. Are you nervous being a first or is it just golf still?

KIARA ROMERO: I'm definitely excited to play, but I'm not really like nervous or scared or anything. I think this is obviously a moment that I've been dreaming of since I was a little kid. Now that it's actually happening I just want to take in the moment and just enjoy being out here and not take that for granted.

THE MODERATOR: Kaleiya is having a great year on Epson this year. What would it mean to be playing out here on Tour with her next year?

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah, I think ever since we were little like thinking about playing professional golf, it was never just me or never just her. We always thought we would do it together.

We kind of got a glimpses of that at the U.S. Open when we both played and made the cut. It was so much fun. We had our whole family out there and definitely something we always dreamed of.

For that possibility to be happening next year it's really exciting for both of us.

THE MODERATOR: Perfect. Thank you, Kiara.

KIARA ROMERO: Yeah. Thank you.