Beatriz Recari is one of the leading players in ladies’ golf in Spain. She started out as an amateur player at nine years of age, and she would quickly secure her first victories at a precocious age, such as the 2004 Spanish Amateur Championship or the 2005 French Amateur Championship. More recently, as a professional, after just four years on the Ladies European Tour, she was able to take the step up to the American league, which she joined at just 22, turning a dream into a reality. In addition to her many individual titles, she was fortunate to be one of the players on the winning European team at the 2013 Solheim Cup. Now, having spent 10 years in the United States, she is taking a short break in order to concentrate on her health, which started to suffer as a result of taking part in so many tournaments. Now, back in Spain for a while, the 32-year-old golfer from Navarra shows that she didn’t earn her nickname of ‘Iron Woman’ for nothing. Rather than sitting around during her recovery time, she has accepted the invitation to take part in the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Open. There, at Golf Terramar in Sitges, we were able to sit down and chat to her.

Beatriz, you are a frequent player on the LPGA. What experience do you have of pla-ying there and why are we honoured to see you play in this LET tournament? I’ve spent ten years of my career there, and it’s been quite intense. There have been successful times, toget-her with some disappointments. I’ve learnt a lot. Since April, my health has been suffering, so I decided to take a break. I was able to make use of the opportunity the tour gave me to take some time to myself and prepare for my return. I was in Malaga, taking some time to recover, and after two months without playing golf, I started to feel better. In fact, I became a bit restless. So, when I got the invita-tion, I felt positive and really felt like taking part. It gives me the chance to see how I feel, take a look at my preparation, to see if I can return to play in the new PGA season in January. In general, I feel fresh, with a different outlook. I’m excited and gra-teful for the opportunities I have received. I want to use this time to reflect and look back on these past 10 years.

What do you want for the future? It’s early days. I miss the competition, but I don’t think I’ll be able to compete with the same intensity I used to. I go the name ‘Iron Woman’ because I was on every tour, playing every tournament. I had no free days on my calendar. I think when I go back, I need to find more balance, because every year the com-petition is greater, and I’ve been neglecting my he-alth for the last three years. I haven’t stopped from one season to the next and in the end, my body suffered.

What differences do you see between the American and European leagues? Without doubt, the level. The best players are in the USA and every year, the competition gets tougher. It’s a much higher level. It’s the tour leader if you want competition. Is it worth the sacrifices it takes to play there?Well I’d do it all again, no doubt about it. I appre-ciate that it’s not for everyone, but if you are ambi-tious, I think it should be your goal. If you like com-petition and you want to prove yourself against the best, that’s the tour to play on. It takes a lot of sacrifice, but if a girl wants to play golf professionally and get to the top of her game, then you need to be looking at the LPGA.

How many tournaments have you played in one year? I once played 30 tournaments a year. That’s a lot of travelling! Yes, the US is huge and of course, if you have to go from Orlando to Los Angeles, it’s a six-hour flight, which is about the same as it takes to get there from Spain. What’s more, we start and end the tour in Asia, so you need to add that. There are lots of flights involved, more than half the year living in hotels and out of a suitcase. Of course, there are two sides to every coin, and I’d still do it again.

Which is the competition you enjoyed winning the most? It’s difficult. They have all been very special for different reasons. Each win was different and special in its own way. The Solheim, which is one of the most recent, was a very special week for me. On an individual level, it would be the second, the 2013 Kia Classic, because when I won it the first time, it was an incredible moment and naturally, I was delighted, but of course you then ask yourself whether it was just a flash in the pan. That’s why I often tell young players not to listen to the opinions of others, because strangely enough, they are never satisfied. It’s not enough just to win, you have to get right to the top, and even then, they keep raising the bar all the time. I’d choose my second victory, because it has more sentimental value for me because I proved to myself and everyone else that I could keep winning.

What have you still got left to achieve? Obviously, whenever you play, it’s to win things. Would I like to win the U.S. Open? Winning a major is the ultimate and something else to add to my career highlights. However, what I would really enjoy on an emotional level is to be much less stressed and be able to disconnect. I’ve been deeply involved with golf for 10 years and I’d like to stay involved, but without the stress. I want to be committed to the sport, to play as well as I can, but to be more relaxed.

Would you stay on the European tour? No, it’s America or nothing. Maybe from time to time, for example, I could play the Spanish Open if I get an invite. But I wouldn’t return to the European circuit as a player. I did it four years ago and it was an important time in my career for my development as a player, but my ambition has always been to play on the other side of the Atlantic and when that co-mes to an end, I’ll call it a day.

Once you finish your career, will you live over there or come back to Spain? I don’t know. It’s funny, two years ago I would have said America. I’m not coming back to Spain, because I’m happy there. But during these three months in Spain, I’ve had a great time. I realise just how much I miss the food and the people. I always try to compensate for these things when I’m over there, but, having said that, I love it.

What about the Solheim? I was in Malaga and I have to confess that I didn’t pay much attention to it because I wanted to disconnect. I just wat-ched on Sunday. I kept an eye on the results the days before, but I didn’t watch on the television. It’s a very tense week. Playing for something which is bigger than you, playing for your team, for a whole continent on a world-class level. I knew exactly what my colleagues were going th-rough.

What do you think about the Solheim being held in Malaga? It would be incredible. It’s time we had a competition like that here. We’ve already had the Ryder Cup, but we’re due this one, and what better place than Malaga? It would be fan-tastic for Spain, for Malaga and for European golf fans in general.