Spain’s Maria Herraez Galvez finished the Lombardia Ladies Open last week as joint runner up, the highest the Spaniard has finished after two years on tour.
The 25-year-old from Madrid recorded rounds of 74, 69 and 69 to finish four strokes behind the winner, Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen.
Herraez Galvez’s performance last week has boosted the Spaniard’s confidence going into the final two tournaments on the schedule in her home country.
Whilst, last week was the highlight of the year on the course, Herraez Galvez admits that the top-5 finish felt like a pipe dream at the beginning of the season.
“My season has been a rollercoaster, the work we have been doing has finally shown through and I’ve started to believe in my game.
“Last week I enjoyed seeing myself play at a higher level. All the changes we have been making are working.”
Herraez Galvez has in recent months got a new coach who has been helping her mental and physical performance. The Spaniard admits that mentally the start of the season took its toll.
“I was expecting so much from my second season and then the results didn’t come through. It was tough. I have reset now which is great. It’s still a challenge but I’m enjoying my golf.
“What was particularly tough, was working extremely hard but not seeing results. At college and school, you’d work hard and see results. Golf is not the same. I need to learn to work smarter, not harder.”
Herraez Galvez studied physics at UC Berkley and after graduating in 2020 joined the LET Access Series full time in 2022 as well as playing in some LET events.
One pivotal moment this year was seeing one of her closest friends on tour, Marta Martin wins the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge.
“Watching Marta win was emotional. She has gone on a similar path to me and has inspired me with her mental toughness. We have both had to overcome things and that win opened the way up for me to regain confidence.
“Along with Scotland’s Clara Young, she is always there to support me on the good days and the bad.
“As a group we love food and away from the course we have fun taking our mind off the golf and visiting cities and eating their cuisine.”
After success last week, Herraez Galvez is ready to play in Spain for the next two events, the Calatayud Ladies Open and Santander Golf Tour-Zaragoza and is embracing the home comforts that come with it.
“The feeling of playing at home is great, especially knowing the food. You don’t worry about being in another country and adjusting, its more comfortable.
“Last year I played Calatyud and have good memories, the course is good fun and requires lots of different kinds of shots. It’s a good challenge.
“Real Club de Golf La Penaza is a great place to finish the season, it’s a challenging course especially if the win blows. It will keep things interesting.”
Herraez Galvez currently sits 32nd on the LETAS Order of Merit and will be looking to have two strong finishes to make the top 21 and skip the pre-qualifying stage of Q school.
This week, the Spaniard’s home course Club de Campo Villa de Madrid is hosting the DP World Tour, and the golfer has been taking inspiration from them for next week.
“I believe I am a Spanish fighter, give us a chance and watch this space!”
The Calatayud Ladies Open starts on the 18th of November at Gambito Golf Calatayud.
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