MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC

June 15, 2021

Sophia Howard

Blythefield Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thank you everyone for your patience. We are joined by the ever so bubbly personality, Sophia Howard, from the Kordas shared. Sophia, take us through your wish of meeting the Kordas. Why the Kordas?

SOPHIA HOWARD: So I turned TV on maybe about a year or two ago, and my dad and I like to watch the PGA side, but just so happened the LPGA channel was on. If I am correct, Jessica was up and she made a sweet chip from probably like 100 or so yards out and I was like, Holy cow, that was phenomenal.

And then they switched to Nelly's hole and she made a huge foot from like, I don't even know, like ten yards from the hole and she made that in and I was like, Holy cow, these girls are good.

And so I kept watching and they just kept making awesome shots. They were doing really well, and after like i was done I kind of Googled them and search them a little bit, kind of watched their stats, went on the LPGA website and watched their interviews and some of the highlights and I just fell in love with those girls' personalities and the way they play the game of golf.

So I think this year I really like sunk in that these girl are really who I like follow and would like to be one day, and so just to be able to meet them is just so surreal.

THE MODERATOR: You remember what event it was?

SOPHIA HOWARD: I do not, uh-huh.

THE MODERATOR: Does it give you chills or anything to think how much you've inspired them?

SOPHIA HOWARD: A little bit. It's kind of crazy to think in my head that I'm inspiring them as they're inspiring me.

Q. A lot of people watching will be looking at this and they say they have so much admiration for you. What is does it mean for you to be able to continue to do what you love despite your physical challenges?

SOPHIA HOWARD: I think my physical challenge doesn't have anything to do with it. Like I may look different, but I think I'm just another average person. I go out and do the game of golf how everybody else and I don't let that stop me. Just go out and kill it.

Q. (Regarding advice to other people.) What do you say to other young girls and boys and women who do have physical challenges that might be holding them back?

SOPHIA HOWARD: I think it takes a little push to get yourself out there right away, but I think once you do you'll find out that like it's not a huge deal. Like you're just everybody else.

I think eventually if you keep pushing yourself out there you'll -- us people who have a different physical appearance will realize that it doesn't matter we look this way or we play differently. We can still be good or we can still be at this level and still be winning tournaments.

Q. What was the hardest part for you playing with your two idols today?

SOPHIA HOWARD: I think just how openly they talk about their conversations with me. Just our conversations out walking the fairways and on the greens. They don't hold anything back. They just let me roll with it.

Q. So when we talked with Jess and Nelly they both said that you're pretty avid golfer and got a pretty impressive swing. Curious to know what do you enjoy most about the game of golf?

SOPHIA HOWARD: Well, firstly watching the game of golf I think the course would agree with me that the LPGA side make shots that just -- that the men can't all the time, so that keeps the game on the LPGA side just on people's toes.

They can't hit it as far, they can't maybe do the best trick shot because maybe they can't muscle it there, but they keep the game of golf very interesting. They keep it -- there is a few highlights shots that I was like, wow, I never could do that.

So they keep the game of golf interesting. You never can fall asleep during that game.

Q. Awesome. And also, when we talked with Jess and Nelly they mentioned that you all have group chat going and really it's only been a couple weeks since you met each other, but how much fun has it been building a relationship with Jess and Nelly just as people that you look up to and them looking up to you as well? How cool has that relationship been, that dynamic?

SOPHIA HOWARD: I think it's very cool. It's more surreal to me knowing that my idols take time out of their day to come chat with me, media days, whatever, social. So I think that's very eye opening to me saying that my idols are willing to take time out of their busy day and come and have a conversation, whether in person or on the phone. That's very surreal to me.

Q. Nice to meet you virtually. I echo the thoughts on your swing. It was fun to watch videos of you. How long have you been playing? What grade are you in? What tournaments? Are you playing local events these days or high school? I don't even know what grade you're in.

SOPHIA HOWARD: I been playing golf for maybe three, four years and I am 14 so I'm going into ninth grade. High school golf has not started yet. It will start August 9th. That's maybe a month and a half before school starts.

Yeah, so I'll play in some -- national local tournaments, but I'll play in some tournaments that are adaptive tournaments that have a junior program.

Q. Was there something you were really curious to ask Jess and Nelly, any fun tidbits you got or maybe a swing tip?

SOPHIA HOWARD: So it was kind of funny, the first time I met them, the night before I was going to bed and I had all these questions and all these thoughts I get to ask them. I said, Oh, I'll remember in the morning. I don't need to go and write them down.

And then I met them and we were sitting at lunch and they asked, Do you have any questions for us? And I was like, You know what, I should have wrote those down because I forgot all of them.

No, we went to the driving range and the putting green before we played the nine holes and we worked on the bunker shot and just figuring out if I'm -- just how to narrow the ball and get it out of the bunker.

One of the best things I think we found was a lot of people will open their club head to get the ball out of the sand, but I'm more of closed faced person, so I can get it out with a closed face, not so easily with an open face.

So that was something we figured out.