Duramed FUTURES Tour alumna Violeta Retamoza made the most of her 2007 rookie season as a professional. A native of Aguascalientes, Mexico, she transitioned from her All-American collegiate career at the University of Tennessee to the LPGA’s developmental tour, where she posted six top-10 finishes in 17 events and earned her first professional win at the Alliance Bank Golf Classic in Syracuse, N.Y.

By finishing fourth on the Tour’s 2007 money list, Retamoza earned fully exempt LPGA status for 2008. But this year’s rookie performance on the LPGA Tour wasn’t her season of dreams. She made one tournament cut in 19 events, and finished the year ranked No. 188^th on the LPGA’s money list, requiring her to return to this week’s LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.

Still, Retamoza, 25, who lives part of the year in San Antonio, Texas, was candid about the ups and downs of 2008 when she sat down recently with Lisa D. Mickey of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. Here’s what she had to say:

DFT: How would you describe your rookie season on the LPGA Tour?

RETAMOZA: It was tough, but I learned a lot. I think it will be a process of a lot of things. This year was completely different than anything I had ever experienced, with things like TV, a lot more travel, different rules, expectations and sponsorships.

DFT: It seems as if your transition from college golf to the Duramed FUTURES Tour to the LPGA happened quickly. Did it happen too fast?

RETAMOZA: Now that I look back, everything happened very fast. I had a tough senior year in college, but I turned pro because my friend [and former teammate at the University of Tennessee, Jessica Shepley] said I should try it. She told me that I would regret it if I didn’t at least try. Well, at the end of my first year on the [Duramed] FUTURES tour, I had my LPGA card. I didn’t really know what to think.

DFT: So off you go to the LPGA Tour at the start of 2008. You finished in the top five on the 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour, so you had earned the right to move on.

RETAMOZA: Yeah, but the year went from OK to bad, to not so good. It was a struggle the whole year. I spent the entire season trying to get my confidence back. I guess there is a reason why I’ve had to go back to Q-School for the Duramed FUTURES Tour and the LPGA.

DFT: How did you try to get your confidence back during this season? That must have been difficult trying to play your way out of a slump.

RETAMOZA: It was in the back of my head for a long time. I took a few weeks off to get my head straight, worked with a psychologist and went back out there. But you know what? I’m still alive. I’m still breathing. I’m OK and I’m not quitting. I know there is more that I can do. I want to go back to the LPGA and prove to myself that I can do it.

DFT: Why did this season happen this way? You seemed ready to go when you left the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

RETAMOZA: I don’t know what happened or what is happening. I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m trying not to think about the past or what is going to happen in the future. That’s all that I have control over.

DFT: Has it been a challenge to keep your spirits up?

RETAMOZA: Yes, it’s been hard to keep my chin up, but things happen for a reason. Sometimes, I wanted to stay in my hotel room and just say, “Screw it, I’m not going back out there to get hurt again.” And it’s been really hard for me to say “Hi” back to fans with a smile on my face when inside, I just wanted to go have a cry. There are a lot of expectations – especially by me -- for things I expected of myself. I know I have the answers and that I can make it happen. I want to just be me again. This year is no one’s fault.

DFT: Did you feel pressure being only one of two Mexicans on the LPGA Tour, with one of them being Lorena Ochoa, who just happens to be No. 1 in the world?

RETAMOZA: No, it’s very exciting. I had the opportunity to represent my country a few times as an amateur, and then I got to go home and play as a professional this year. At the same time, it’s a big responsibility. I am not here to please everybody, but I’m not ashamed to go back and show my face – even though I probably was for half the season. Now I know it’s OK, even if I played bad.

DFT: You said you learned a lot this season. Can you talk about that?

RETAMOZA: There are a lot of bad things in the world and you have to learn about the good and the bad. I’m here. I play golf for a living. I’m healthy. I have friends and family and the sun will rise tomorrow. Everything is OK. This is just golf and sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s not. I think every golfer understands that.

DFT: Everybody loves a winner, but when things got bad this year, how did people treat you?

RETAMOZA: People didn’t know what to say to me. I know it’s hard to see a close friend going through a rough time. What do you say? People didn’t seem to know how to approach me or when to talk to me. At the end of the day, I learned that I’m just “V” and that I’m still your friend. I guess sometimes I put too much importance on things. I’m the queen of that.

DFT: Can you talk about your transition from the Duramed FUTURES Tour to the LPGA?

RETAMOZA: This year, there were a lot of new people in a new environment. When I went to the [Duramed] FUTURES Tour, I had my best friend [Jessica Shepley] out there and it was easy. My family came out and supported me this year on the LPGA Tour. They were there for me, no matter what. At the end of the day, this is still a job. Sometimes it’s good to see it that way and sometimes it’s not. Everybody does the best with what they have. It was such a long year. Even though Shep [Shepley] was still on the Duramed FUTURES Tour and I was on the LPGA, we talked a lot. With friendships like that, you know they are going to be there for you and offer the words you need to hear.

DFT: Interestingly, Jessica Shepley had a really solid season this year on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, while you struggled on the LPGA. Your roles reversed from the 2007 season.

RETAMOZA: Sometimes life takes us completely different ways. She did great this year and I was cheering for her. As golfers, we all know that this is such a big part of our lives and we know all the emotions that go with it, the ups and downs. I went from having a great year in golf to having the toughest year of my life, but I was trying to be cheery for Shep. I watched her scores on Real-Time Scoring. I am happy for her success.

DFT: Was the Mexican media fair or hard on you?

RETAMOZA: The media was OK. At the beginning of the year, it was tough just to keep up with everything because they wanted to talk a lot. Then at one point, they just wrote whatever they wanted to write. I know there were a lot of things written about me, but I didn’t read them. What the eyes don’t see, the heart doesn’t care. But they are my people and I’m going home soon. I’m not afraid to face them and say, “Yes, I had a bad year.” I’m not avoiding them anymore.

DFT: You finally made your first tournament cut at the Longs Drugs Challenge – the 18^th of the 19 tournaments you played. How did that feel?

RETAMOZA: I was waiting for that week. All golfers just need one good round or one good week to give you some confidence. After I made the cut, I was like, ‘Hey, I can do this.” It was another step – always going forward. It was a good step, a big step. Maybe it was the start for a great year.

DFT: How will you remember the 2008 season?

RETAMOZA: I’m going to see this year as the best year of my life because the way to learn is through the bad things. In the future, I’ll see this as the year I learned the most.

DFT: Why did you go back and play the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s Q-School?

RETAMOZA: I was trying to get ready for LPGA Q-School. I wanted to play another tournament with people I know. The goal was to try to get back the good feelings and the confidence.

DFT: What do you have to do to have a good week at LPGA Q-School?

RETAMOZA: I don’t know if there is one thing. I’m trying to relax and hit one shot at a time. It’s a long week and I need to be patient. It will be the end of this season and whatever happens, happens. I’m going to put my heart out there and control the things I can.

Retamoza Describes Ups And Downs Of LPGA Rookie Season

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