The last time Azahara Munoz played on the LPGA Tour was at the Pelican Women's Championship in Belleair, Fla, in 2021, but she walked away for very good reason. The 34-year-old gave birth to son Lucas on February 28, 2022 and has been spending time at home caring for her first child, a welcome respite from life on the LPGA Tour. The Spaniard makes her return to competitive golf this week at the Dana Open presented by Marathon and admits she was a little nervous when she showed up at Highland Meadows Golf Club a few days ago.

“I was a little nervous arriving on the course on Monday actually”, said Azahara Munoz. "I feel like it's been forever. I enjoyed being home so much. It's not that I was dying to be here, but now that I'm here, it's really nice to see everyone. Everyone always says you don't know how much you love them until you get them, but he's amazing. He's such a good little boy. My parents stayed here for three months with me, so it was good to be home. We always travel at such a fast pace that it was really nice to have that little break and enjoy the baby. »

Many new moms to the #LPGAMoms are a little hesitant to drop their little ones off at Smucker's LPGA Child Development Center for the first time, but Azahara Munoz said Lucas did well on Tuesday and it helped his mom relax and enjoy his time on the golf course. This is Azahara Munoz's 10th Dana Open start and she has three top-10 finishes in Toledo, the most recent of which is a tied ninth-place finish in 2016. But she hasn't arrived this week with much excitement. expectations and didn't really want to have a strict plan for her return, a very intentional choice for the new mom, especially given her birth experience. As she approaches her first start since last November and her first as a mom, Azahara Munoz is more competitive than ever and still looking to perform, even with the new challenge of balancing motherhood and professional golf.

“I never thought of anything. I just wanted to take it as it came, because each person has a different story. I didn't think my game would be any different, but neither did I when I was pregnant. I feel like sometimes you hear a story and then you make it happen.", said Azahara Munoz. “Yesterday I was telling a story to someone from Spain. I said to him: “I have no excuses”. Obviously the competition and the preparation for the baby, it's all so different, and maybe I'm not sleeping as well, but other than that my body feels great. I just need to play. To get things done. »

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