Nuria Iturrioz secured her fourth Ladies European Tour (LET) title at the inaugural edition of La Sella Open in 2023.
The Spaniard is back again this year to defend her title as the second edition of the €1,000,000 event takes place from 19-22 September.
Iturrioz defeated Germany’s Laura Fuenfstueck in a playoff last year after she fired a final round of 67 (-5) in Spain.
The four-time LET winner has great memories of that final day and claiming her first LET title since 2019.
“I remember my last five holes from the eagle on 12 and the couple of birdies on 17 and 18 also,” she said.
“I made a great putt and I remember in the playoff I had the same putt on the first hole and then the second hole, Laura went to the left with the driver and I remember a lot of excitement in my heart.
“It was amazing, an amazing feeling. I won in Spain as an amateur and then the Spanish championship, so I just need to win the Spanish Open now. It was so cool to see the fans and feel the support and to win the first edition. I’m happy.”
The 28-year-old sits 53rd in the 2024 LET Order of Merit having secured three top-10 finishes so far this season.
Iturrioz enjoys being able to play in her homeland and being able to return to the tournament which was voted by LET players as ‘Tournament of the Year’ in 2023.
However, the Spanish star believes this year the course will provide a tougher test with trickier rough.
She continued: “The shape of the golf course is really good. The greens are rolling really good which is weird because the Bermuda can be hard to keep it in a good shape, but I’m really happy for them that they have put in a lot of work and it’s showing.
“The rough is a bit thicker and long, so this is going to be more complicated around the greens. It’s good because it’s going to be more of a challenge for the players.
“The place is amazing, they treat us really well. The food is good and they try to make us happy and comfortable and we can feel that. That’s the most important thing.”
Iturrioz will begin her title defence at 2.54 pm (local time) alongside England’s Alice Hewson and Singapore’s Shannon Tan.
Follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #LaSellaOpen.
