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BANK OF HOPE FOUNDERS CUP

March 15, 2018

Jessica Korda

Phoenix, Arizona

Q. You got off to a rip-roaring start there.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, no, it was a really good start. Some indecisions coming in just got me, but whatever. 3-under is 3-under out here. It's going to get harder. The wind is starting to blow and it's not easy.

So I was kind of happy we got to tee off early.

Q. When did you start to feel it hit you? How much of a different did to make? The wind.
JESSICA KORDA: I have no idea. Like 4th hole, 5th hole. I kind of looked over at Collin and I was like, What time is it? He's like, It's 11:30. I was like, All right, here we go. Because I was supposed to come in around 12:00.

Q. So can you take us through some of the early birdies that we didn't see?
JESSICA KORDA: I mean, I hit it to two feet on 10. If I say 1 or 2 can I just go that way?

Q. Yes.
JESSICA KORDA: I hit it to about, I don't know, six feet on 11; 15 feet on 12; like 18 feet on 13.

And then calmed down, and then I actually hit driver and then driver off the deck to about 15 feet and that lipped out.

Q. Wow.
JESSICA KORDA: So I was really upset, because I was like, That would've been so cool.

What did I do after that? Nothing. I didn't do anything after that.

Q. Did you often hit driver off the deck?
JESSICA KORDA: When I'm at home all the time. It's just if my caddie has a heart attack or not. (Laughter.)

Q. How long was that in?
JESSICA KORDA: We had like 240 front or something like that. It was kind of -- I mean, because it was so cold this morning.

240 front.

Q. So that's kind of a favorite shot? You enjoy that?
JESSICA KORDA: I just hit it for fun, and this is the first time I hit it in a tournament. I think the crowd enjoyed it more than I did.

But I did think it was really cool.

Q. Did you feel like you're riding some momentum?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, I mean, honestly, as it started to get windier I have no idea how I'm going to hit it. I haven't played in this. Same as the cold. I've tried to stay out of the cold as much as possible.

If you guys are going numb, just think about how my lips are turning blue. I've tried to stay out of the cold as much as I could. This is really the first time I've had to play in something like this.

So at the same time, I had no idea. It was a lot of guesswork coming in with the wind. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be a little bit better. More consistent.

Q. You turn around and look at what's going on behind you much?
JESSICA KORDA: We barely saw them. Yeah, there was one point we had a ruling and they were behind us. I can't see much when I'm in front of her. It's only when I'm behind her I can see more.

Q. How do you explain what's happening with your game? You went through so much. What's coming together? Does it surprise you how quickly?
JESSICA KORDA: My last two finishes on tour I was, whatever, third and second. I finished off the season really well.

Just honestly, kept doing what we were doing, like surgery or no surgery. The only thing is I'm not playing with a constant headache, which is really nice.

Q. What are the things you guys have been working on that are paying off?
JESSICA KORDA: Honestly, Dave keeps it really simple for me. He doesn't like to take credit, but he's turned my game around. Also the way I think about golf and how much time I put into it.

I used to put in so much time and I would never think about it. Now I put less time in, but I actually think about it.

Yeah, he's just made it really fun for me. I struggled a lot with short game before I started working with him. He's just helped me a lot. He doesn't like to take credit for it. He's like, I'm not out there hitting the shots. No, you're just prepping me to hit the shot.

Q. Has the short game been something that's frustrated you in the past? What's different with him?
JESSICA KORDA: I'm not afraid to miss a green. I used to get so frustrated missing greens because I was like that's an automatic bogey. I knew how hard I would have to work just to make par.

Now I chunked a 54 or 50 on - what hole was that? 16. I was just short of the green. I was like, Oh, well. Whatever. Chipped it up to a foot and I was done. You know, it's automatic, and that's really nice.

Q. Is that just technique that you didn't know before?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah. It's technique and the type of shot and just getting back into it. You know, like I have to make sure that I want to hit the chip shot versus take the putter out.

Hitting the putt is still the easier shot, but I have to be confident enough in myself to hit the wedge shot.

Q. That last short game shot there you hit one of those real low spinners.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, and it didn't do what I wanted it to do. I was like, Why did that not do it? I hit that shot all the time. I love the low like snipper; supposed to hit and stop and that's it.

It just really switched. Happened a lot today, especially even on putts you would hit -- putts that you think are slowing down by the hole, and all of a sudden you have four feet coming back and you weren't expecting that.

Golf course is playing -- it's a totally different golf course than what we played in the practice rounds and even last year.

Q. Is that a new shot for you, though, with David?
JESSICA KORDA: Not really. I mean, yes and no. Every shot is new. I would probably be going left couple years back and just take the slope and pray.

Now I know that I pick a shot and I know what I like and I just commit to it and hit it.

Q. When I asked you about the short game you kind of laughed. Was it really a source --
JESSICA KORDA: It was really bad. It was like really, really, really bad. Like if I was 40 yards out I would probably want to putt it.

Q. Wow.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah. Like I would not want to take a wedge into my hand. It was really, really, really bad. I would try to hit it into a bunker versus hitting it (indiscernible).

Q. Does this make you feel like you could be the best player in the world now that your game is complete?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah. I mean, it's trending in that direction. My dad always said I'm going to mature a lot slower. My game is going to mature a lot slower. I'm very mature.

But my game is going to mature slower, just like he did. Hopefully that's what we're going to start seeing here.

I still have a lot to figure out. Like I'm still pretty rusty. I'm not going to lie to you. Just the difference --you know, I'm used to being warm, and I know how far my clubs fly when I'm warm. I'm not 100% sure how they fly when it's cold. And I have a new caddie. We're just trying to figure it out together.

There are going to be a bunch of mistakes that will happen. It's just how we can recover from them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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