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SWINGING SKIRTS LPGA TAIWAN CHAMPIONSHIP

November 3, 2019

Nelly Korda

New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei, Taiwan

Q. What did you hit on your second shot on the playoff hole?
NELLY KORDA: I hit a 5-hybrid. I had 200 yards into the wind. My caddie, Jason, told me I needed to club up if I wanted to have a chance to get it close, and I hit a perfect shot. It just faded with the wind and I couldn't have been more pleased.

Q. After winning the Australian Open, you said something along the line of -- you found it tough to stay strong after three weeks of play -- what's going on, is there something in the bubble tea?
NELLY KORDA: I guess so, yeah, I always enjoy coming back here. Even the fans in Taiwan, they are amazing and they were rooting for me all week. I just felt so much love from them and it just made me smile so much. I really enjoyed my week here.

Q. Why did you and Nelly, your sister, choose golf, instead of tennis like your brother and your brother?
NELLY KORDA: So when my dad retired, he picked up golf, and my sister is five years old, so she already started playing with him. I guess it was just some type of family bonding thing. We were always out together and it's so much easier to play golf as a family than it is tennis.

So we all kind of fell in love with the sport, and I was always the little sister that wanted to do everything the big sister was doing. It was something that my sister and I shared, and I loved it, as well.

Q. Now, you have won here in Asia, also in Australia and Europe, but you have yet to win in your home soil, America. Now you've got the CME TOUR Championship coming up. How important is it for you to win in the United States?
NELLY KORDA: I would love to win in the US, but I'll take a win any where, really. To win on the LPGA Tour is so hard nowadays because so many girls are so good, and when you get a chance to win, you put yourself into contention, you know you're doing so much right.

I'm going home for two weeks. I'm not playing in Japan next week. I'm just trying to get ready with my coach prepare the best I can for CME and see what happens.

Q. Hole 14 to hole 17, there were some problems with your putting. On 17 green, you looked quite upset. What cheered you up to face the hole 18 tee?
NELLY KORDA: My caddie. It's all my caddie. He gave me a great pep talk going from 17 to 18, and he kind of just told me, you know, to give it all I've got and to play from the heart, as well. My sister said that, too. Without them, I wouldn't be on this stage today because they really made sure I was level-headed.

Q. You birdied regular 18th hole and you birdied the playoff. Talk about 18 on this golf course?
NELLY KORDA: I definitely use my length to my advantage there. The tee was up today but it was howling from left-to-right, and my regular round, I was in the rough and I didn't really have a great lie.

But I got it really close and actually almost made that chip. It was pretty close. I had just a tap-in birdie which was definitely crucial because I really -- I definitely needed to make that birdie to force a playoff, but then I pumped my drive on the playoff hole so far. I guess the adrenaline was really -- I had an adrenaline rush there. I just had a 5-hybrid going into the green. I hit two really great shots.

Q. Your caddie is Caroline's fiancé?
NELLY KORDA: Yes.

Q. And last year when you won, your sister wasn't here, and this year she was all the way. How was that for you?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, Jason is engaged to Caroline, but at the end of the day, he is on my team and I am the one signing his paycheck (laughing). Caroline is a great person and she played amazing golf today. You know, it was kind of difficult for him because I guess he can be happy but he didn't. But I wouldn't be where I am without Jason, and he made sure that he kept me in the game.

My sister, yeah, it was great. I was actually there for her win back in Thailand when she came back from jaw surgery, so I saw her win for the first time then. It was really special for her to see me win this time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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