KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2021

Nelly Korda

Atlanta Athletic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Nelly Korda, who just shot a casual 63. That's to follow up last week's 62 with a 63, closing with six straight birdies. Can I ask what got into you today?

NELLY KORDA: I don't know, I guess I just blacked out out there. Actually the one on 17, No. 8, was the highlight of my round. I pushed my drive out right, and I was near a root, so I wasn't even sure if I could hit it. Thankfully I hit just the top of it. It's so scary when you have those types of shots. To drain a long putt was nice, too.

Q. If you can talk through those last six birdies, what you had in and the clubs if you can remember all that, starting on No. 4.

NELLY KORDA: The par-3? I had a little 7 in. I hit it just past -- I hit an arrow at the pin. I flew it by a little, probably had like 20 feet and just crept in from the side on the left.

The next hole I had a 7-wood in, actually lipped out for eagle there.

Then the next hole, I hit it on the green with my 7-wood, also missed my eagle putt.

Then I hit a 5-iron into that par-3. It was pretty close. I had probably five feet downhill, rolled that one in.

Then the next hole I had a long one, I don't even know how far that was.

Then on the last hole, that was a controlled pitching wedge, and I just hit it over the pin. Probably had an eight-footer down the hill left to right.

Q. It's a 63 after opening with a bogey.

NELLY KORDA: Yes.

Q. What happened there?

NELLY KORDA: Just shook it off. It was a poor second shot into the green and poor chip, too. I knew there was a lot of golf out here. I knew that Jason, he scouted the golf course, knew a lot of the holes were pushed up so I could get there in two, and just told myself I'm going to make bogeys this week, so...

Q. Was Jason giving you good advice throughout all this?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think he was a little shocked, too. He was like -- I think we both blacked out a little there.

Q. You said earlier in the week you felt like you had been hit by a truck. I guess you got your energy back?

NELLY KORDA: I did, definitely. I think honestly it also helps to have a crowd here. When I won in Nona and then I went to Ocala, I was just so tired there. I honestly didn't have any energy, and I feel like when the crowd is here, they get behind you, they kind of give you a lot of energy, as well.

Q. Was there a time during your career when you remember being as dialed in with your game as you are right now?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, honestly, yes, when I won in Australia the year I think of 2019. I had a lot of top 10s in a row at the start. I actually lipped out on 18 in Arizona to get into a playoff.

It's nice when you're on top of your game and everything is going well, but you also have the roller coasters.

Q. You spoke last week about how when you are in the final groups on the weekend, sometimes the pressure can overtake you and you can forget that this is fun and enjoy being in the moment. Having that experience so fresh in your mind, do you feel it'll be the same this weekend, or does the fact that it's a major make it at all any different?

NELLY KORDA: I mean, you want to take that kind of mindset into every round. Some days it's a lot easier than others, and some days you're just not having a good day, honestly, and your mental game and everything is just bad. But obviously that's the mindset I want to take into every single day.

Q. How much did it help who you were playing with today?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I love Lydia and I love Georgia. They're a lot of fun to play with, and it was actually funny because Georgia was making putts on top of me, and I'm like, why don't you give me the tee box. Honestly, when you play with players like that and you have a fun time, even the bad shots are not as bad.

Q. Sometimes the most difficult round is the round after a round like you just shot. You shot 62 last week; how do you go into the next round and what is your mindset going into tomorrow?

NELLY KORDA: Try to completely forget about it, like it's a clean slate, honestly. Just going out here and try to compete with the golf course, try to beat the golf course and see what kind of monster it is that day.

Q. How do you remained disciplined? This is a major championship, and there are some places where you have to not go for flags. How do you remain disciplined throughout four rounds here?

NELLY KORDA: That's when you rely on your caddie and you have a good caddie that kind of tells you and warns you in a sense, bud, this is not a good pin to go at, par is a good score out here.

Q. For all the great shots and that birdie run, Jason actually raved about the approach you had into 2. Said it's one of the best shots he's seen you hit, on the par-5.

NELLY KORDA: Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that, actually.

Q. When you pull something like that off, what role does that play in getting on a birdie run after?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, honestly I just got over it and hit it. I didn't even think about it. I was like, I'm just going to try to snap hook this, and I did. I hit it to probably 10 feet. Unfortunately it lipped out, but that's what makes golf so much fun, when you get to pull off those shots and you're like, God, I love this game.

Q. Is David here this week?

NELLY KORDA: No, he's not.

Q. Do you talk to him or your dad throughout the week about anything?

NELLY KORDA: No, I make my game plan up with Jason and we go from there.

Q. What's the biggest difference in your game this week and last week as opposed to three weeks ago at the U.S. Open?

NELLY KORDA: Consistency. I think I'm just finally -- I mean, the shots I was hitting at U.S. Open, I looked at Jason and I'm like, Have you ever seen this from me? And he's like, Nope.

I just dialed in more on my irons and all the tendencies that I was making out at U.S. Open, I was just pushing it out right, and I wasn't hitting any fairways. To hit fairways and to hit those straight iron shots is what's different about these two events.

Q. How much of this is a continuation of last week?

NELLY KORDA: Every week is a new week. Every golf course is a new monster, new golf course. When you win, it's hard. I've never won towards the end of my stretch, I've always won kind of like at the beginning, so it's like, it doesn't even kind of soak in that I've won. In a sense you kind of don't even get to enjoy it because I won and then hey, it's a major championship, like get ready. So already on Sunday, you're already like, I need to get to bed soon, I need to rest up for this week.

They're two completely different golf courses and two different strategies. It's just good golf that I've been playing, and hopefully I can continue on with that.

Q. Have you ever won back-to-back?

NELLY KORDA: Nope, and I've always said, props to the people that have won back-to-back because it's very hard.

Q. Are you going to Panera tonight?

NELLY KORDA: I don't know. Yesterday was Chipotle so we'll see what's on the fancy menu tonight.