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| Diana Luna at Perugia Golf Club on Wednesday |
In 23 editions of the Italian Open, no Italian has triumphed. Will five-time LET tournament champion and former Solheim Cup player Diana Luna change that this week?
How important is it to have the Italian Open back on the LET schedule?
It’s very important and it means a lot for me and all the other Italian girls. We were very keen to have an event in Italy and we were very, very happy that it was possible again finally.
How does this week compare to others on tour?
For every Italian this is a very special week and we want to perform well. We all work to perform well this week. When you are in your own country you want to make everyone around you happy and you want to be happy yourself, showing your talent in your own country. Of course is has a special meaning.
How have you prepared for this tournament?
I’ve been preparing very well for the last four or five weeks at home. I played very well in my last tournament in Holland, especially my long game. My putting was not quite there but I’ve been working a lot on my short game and putting the last month and I’ve been practising a lot. I’ve been playing a lot also so I’m well prepared and I hope to perform well.
It’s been three years since your last victories in 2011. Do you think this could be your week?
I hope this could be the week. I’m working for that and looking for that. I’ll do my best, of course. You can’t completely control everything, because you can control your reaction but you can’t control how the others are playing, so if someone plays really well then it’s going to be a good challenge. I hope people are playing well so that I will play better.
Tell me about this golf course and how well do you know it. Have you played here before?
I played here many years ago, around 15 years ago, when I was a kid, basically, so I didn’t remember well every hole. I think it’s nice and it’s a fun course. It’s not very long but it’s very tricky and you have to think on some holes about how you should play them. It’s going to be fun.
What’s the best part of your game at present?
It’s difficult to tell because you can tell when you play tournaments and I haven’t played in a tournament for the last five weeks. I have been playing solidly in Holland and hopefully my putts will follow very soon.
You have your daughter, Elena, with you. How do you balance your down time with your work time?
I’m very lucky because I have people to take care of Elena while I’m playing and I can be fully concentrated on my game when I’m on the golf course, which is very important. It’s a big chance I have. I’m quite lucky to have all my family and other people to help me. My daughter is very sociable and so she likes to be with other people without making it hard for me. I think I can balance work and family quite well. I am very much separating both things. If I see my daughter on the course then I say hello. But she knows that I’m working so she’s not very demanding with me when I’m on the golf course because she knows that mama is working and needs to focus. So she’s quite a clever girl.
Do you think that Elena will play golf?
I have no idea because for the moment she doesn’t seem very interested and I don’t care, to be honest. I won’t force her. She will do whatever she likes.
What do you like to do when not playing golf?
I like to spend time with my family of course so that includes going to the park with Elena and playing with her, bringing her to do her activities. She is dancing at the moment and she is very cute. When at home I do some work outs and other things but I like staying at home. I like cooking, really normal family time.
What is the best thing about being in Italy?
The food is very important. The people are very nice in this region and they are very good hosts. They have great hospitality in this region of Italy and they are very nice to everybody. I think it’s a nice place to be.
