KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2021

Nelly Korda

Atlanta Athletic Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here with Rolex rankings No. 3, Nelly Korda, the top ranked American in the world, coming in off a win last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic, also earlier this year at the Gainbridge LPGA, making your fifth KPMG Women's PGA appearance. What's it like rolling into a major off a win? Has to be a pretty good feeling?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it feels good. A little tired today. I feel like I got hit by a bus on probably 14 today. Hopefully I can keep it going into this week.

Q. How did you celebrate the win knowing that you were getting on a plane and coming right down to a big event?

NELLY KORDA: I didn't get to. I had to get right in the mode of getting in head space of it's major week.

Q. I did hear there was a little Panera celebration maybe afterwards?

NELLY KORDA: That was really good. That was a good salad.

Q. I think we need a little Panera Bread gift cards coming along here. You played 18 holes now. It was a long hot morning certainly. What are your thoughts on Atlanta Athletic as we get ready for the major?

NELLY KORDA: I like it. It's a really nice track. It's really soft, really wet out there. I think, if it's going to continue being soft, it's going to play advantage to the longer hitters, which I obviously like.

I had a lot of 6-irons into a lot of clubs, but I like the track. It's really nice. We'll see how this week goes.

Q. Overall, how do you think -- you're coming in off a win, but how do you think your game and the strengths of this game set up to this golf course, particularly with it being long?

NELLY KORDA: I think it sets up pretty well actually. It's nice to hit driver pretty much off every tee. You have to kind of thread it between a couple of bunkers. There's a lot of bunkers in play this week, and they actually told me -- I think they redid it a couple years ago, and they took out a couple of bunkers. But there's a lot of bunkers in play. You're going to have to hit it well off the tee placement-wise. Yeah, length plays a huge part. So making sure you're hitting your long irons good.

Again, it's pretty soft, so the greens are pretty receptive. I'm pretty sure they're going to get fast and pretty firm throughout the week. So I'm expecting it to get harder.

Q. It is a major after all.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, exactly.

Q. After the Gainbridge win, you showed up in Ocala, and you said you weren't sure how people won back to back. You were just exhausted. How have you changed your mindset since then to come into this event after a win?

NELLY KORDA: Actually, the win in Nona was really stressful, so I think I just psyched myself out and I stressed myself out so much that I was so tired. I really enjoyed playing on Sunday. I had a lot of fun. So I think I'm not as tired just because mentally, when you're so stressed during a round, I feel like you get so tired, and you feel like you've been hit by a bus, which I did a little today on 14 just because this is my ninth day of golf in a row pretty much.

So just resting up and making sure I don't overdo it is going to be key.

Q. Is this a golf course that suits you? Because you're not going to shoot 25-under out here. How do you adjust your mindset from I've got to birdie every other hole to par is a pretty good score?

NELLY KORDA: As I said, you have a lot of long irons into greens. So just taking your chances when you can. Sometimes par is going to be really good out here, but making sure you take advantage of the par-5s is key as well.

Q. I guess the tee is back at 18 today, but do you expect going at that green in two?

NELLY KORDA: My caddie told me there's a possibility of us playing two tees. When you have the tee in the back, I think I had like 250 to the front, so probably not if they tee it up in the back. It also depends on softness of fairways and what the wind direction is, but I'm pretty sure, if the tee is up, you'll probably see me send it in front of the fairway.

Q. When you talk about flipping the switch into a major mindset, describe that.

NELLY KORDA: To be honest, I try to approach every tournament the same. A lot of people get wrapped up in it's major week, and they put so much pressure and emphasis on it being major week instead of just enjoying the week, and I'm still trying to figure that out.

I missed the cut at the U.S. Open two years in a row now, and just trying to enjoy the moment and just to have fun and approach it like every other week, I think is a new mindset I'm going to try to rely on, I guess.

Q. You talked about spending time with your dad in the off week. What do you think, looking back on that time, paid off the most and what you worked on?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, a little boot camp with Papa K. Just having structure, honestly. Ever since I was young, I had a lot of structure growing up, and sometimes when you're just out there by yourself, you show up to the golf course, what am I going to do? You think about it, and you're like, oh I'll hit balls a number of hours and go play nine holes.

My dad usually sets up a plan for me, and I follow it, and I just feel more comfortable.

Q. Was boot camp five days?

NELLY KORDA: No, it was like three or four days.

Q. Did you play 18 yesterday? What did you do yesterday?

NELLY KORDA: No, I walked, chipped, and putted the front nine, yeah.

Q. What will you do tomorrow?

NELLY KORDA: I'm going to play the back nine. I usually typically like to play the back nines on Wednesdays.

Q. I was just curious some of the memories that you've had growing up with your sister and your family out on the golf course. What are some of the more memorable moments you've had together out there? Specifically kind of in your junior days.

NELLY KORDA: Junior days, oh, gosh -- well, she is five years older. Junior days, we didn't play a lot of junior golf together. We spent a lot of time, when I got on Tour, played a couple of FCWTs together. I remember her winning her age group and me winning my age group. Again, five years is a big difference when it is in junior golf, and she was on Tour already at the age of 17.

So not many, but pros a lot. Having her there for my first win and me being there for her first win after jaw surgery was really special.

Q. Range finders this week. What are your thoughts on range finders?

NELLY KORDA: We'll see. Possibly if I'm really offline, but Jason and I have a routine already, and we like to stick to that. I like to pace it off. I'm not against it though.

Q. I'm sure you plan on winning lots of majors.

When you win the first one, do you think the emotion will be more joy or more relief?

NELLY KORDA: I'm guessing joy. I would hope joy. Not really relief. I wouldn't say relief. At the end of the day, anyone can win here. It's definitely something on my bucket list in the sense as a professional golfer, but it would be a lot of joy.

Q. What would be your advice to young junior golfers who are trying to make it to the LPGA Tour or play at least collegiately? What would be your advice?

NELLY KORDA: I feel like a lot of people get wrapped up into grinding so much that they lose a love for the game. My advice is to always have fun and just never take it so seriously.

Q. I know, obviously, you won last week, so you played your way in. Have you changed your philosophy at all over the years and how you come into a major in terms of taking a week off, not wanting to play in front of the tournament, or does it just vary on the schedule?

NELLY KORDA: It honestly varies. I didn't play the week before the U.S. Open. I don't typically play the week before ANA, but this year I did, and I finished well. It just depends on what the schedule looks like.

Q. Do you ever come to a site in advance to check it out?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, I've never done that, no.

Q. Why not?

NELLY KORDA: We travel, and we play throughout the year so much, that's honestly the last thing I want to do is travel more on a week off.

Q. There's a decent chance there could be three Kordas in Tokyo later this year at the Olympics. How cool would that be to you guys? I think your mom is the only one who has an Olympics behind her, and you have an incredibly talented family. What would that mean to you guys?

NELLY KORDA: It would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it kind of sucks our parents can't come if we do all qualify, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We'll see. This week I'm focusing on this. I'm sure Jess is going to say the same, and when we get there, we get there, but it would be exciting.

Q. You know each other well. She said the same thing.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, exactly.