KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2021

Nelly Korda

Atlanta Athletic Club

Press Conference

Q. Nelly Korda, major champion, Nelly Korda, world No. 1. How does that sound?

NELLY KORDA: That has a lovely ring to it, not going to lie.

Q. You had the day to end all days today. I know it's all been a blur, but overall what has this experience been like?

NELLY KORDA: It's been amazing, honestly. The past few days, the battle with Lizette, it's been a lot of fun. It's been stressful. I think it's had everything.

But I just can't believe it. I'm still in shock.

Q. You started off early with the birdie on No. 3 but then No. 5 you had us all on albatross watch on that one. Tell us about No. 5 there.

NELLY KORDA: I had a really nice yardage in, a really comfortable 7-wood. It honestly never left the flag. Right as I hit it, I was like, "Be good." When you get to make -- when you have that short of a putt, it makes everything so much easier and takes so much more stress off of you. You kind of catapult forward.

Q. You were relatively stress free over the next couple holes, parred on in until No. 12 with yet another eagle on No. 12. Can you tell us about that one?

NELLY KORDA: Well, I actually chunked it. Right as I hit it, I was like, ohh, and I was very lucky honestly. You have to have a little bit of everything to win. You have to have luck on your side. So thank God right there.

It was a hard putt, and I just put a really good stroke on it, was confident with it, rolled it in. That really helped a lot.

Q. 15 I'm sure was a bit of a scare.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I really don't like that hole. I'm so happy that's over. I told you, I was like, seriously after this hole. But even my second shot, honestly I was aiming left, and I don't know, I have like -- I guess I had a little bit of a mental block and I pushed it right at the pin. I was not going for the pin there. But that happens; it's golf. You're going to make mistakes, and you're going to have to be okay with hitting bad shots and hitting bad putts.

Q. Then you walk up to the 18th with a three-shot lead. Can you walk us through your mindset on that hole, what you talked about with Jason?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, we were between driver, 5-iron or hybrid, and I wasn't really comfortable with driver because even if I did hit it good, I don't think I would have gone for it. It's just too much trouble, and why put yourself into that position.

So I hit hybrid off the tee. I laid up with a 50-degree, which I don't do often, and honestly smoked my pitching wedge. Like that adrenaline was definitely pumping.

I don't even know how that par putt rolled in, but I'm so glad it did, and it was a nice feeling.

Q. That was some of the most emotion from you I've seen from you. You had your family there and I know they got dad on FaceTime. How important is it to you to have your family around you during times like this?

NELLY KORDA: It's honestly so nice to spend it with them. Jess has done so much for my family, and I honestly wouldn't be here without her. And my mom, too. So it's special.

Q. Can you talk a lit bit about what it is that your mom and Jess have done to help you get to this moment?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, when I'm down, they're always there. Just having my mom out here is really nice. She followed me most of the week, which was nice. I mean, Jess is like the best big sister. No one ever -- I don't think anyone can come close to her. She just has a heart of gold.

Q. You said after you won that it was your dream to one day become a major champion. Where did becoming world No. 1 fit into those dreams?

NELLY KORDA: I don't know. Honestly right as I turned pro. Like that's honestly -- I don't even know. I've just been constantly trying to inch towards that, and to finally get it is amazing.

Q. When you look back at this week, you won why?

NELLY KORDA: I won why?

Q. Yeah, what's the most significant thing?

NELLY KORDA: I pretty much dominated a lot of the par-5s. I hit the ball really well, putted my putts. I just honestly -- everything was on, and when you look back on weeks like this, it's really special, and you don't take it for granted. I'm really grateful for all the work and for my family constantly pushing me.

Q. You said out on the green you did kind of pull some momentum from last week. It's just been an incredible run.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, honestly I've just been hitting the ball really well. I've started -- I was kind of struggling early on this year. Usually I hit my irons or low irons like arrows, and I kind of got away from that. I don't know how and why. But I started finally doing it the week before Meijer and just carried the work I put in the week before. After the missed cut, I really grinded. I mean, it's paid off, which is super nice. It doesn't usually pay off right away, and for it to pay off right away is amazing.

Q. When the putt goes in on 18, you put your hands up. Is joy or relief --

NELLY KORDA: Thank God. I was like, okay, Nelly, just don't blast this by. It was just like a, thank God I made this. It's cool because the past two weeks I've made a putt to win, in a sense, so to finally do that, I've never done that in my three or four other wins, I haven't done that. I've always just like pinched that putt on and just tapped it in and been like, Yay!

Q. You've had a lot of expectations on you for a long time. Now that you've accomplished this, can you talk about maybe the burden that you felt to be -- an American hasn't been No. 1 in a long time, and to be that player?

NELLY KORDA: I didn't really think about it too much. I mean, when you have a good team around you, they try to implement a mindset of just go out and play golf, have fun. I've told my caddie Jason from day one, I was like, I'm the type of player that likes to take it shot by shot. Sometimes you get away from it, and he actually told me today, he's like, you're thinking 40 minutes ahead. He's like, you told me when you hired me we're taking it shot by shot. It's very simple and people are like, oh, that's boring, but it's really important when you're out there.

Q. You seem like a very practical person, so this might be a little melodramatic for you, but was there ever a point today where you felt maybe destiny was on your side, that this was the day it was going to happen? Did you ever feel that momentum or wave behind you?

NELLY KORDA: When I chunked it and it flew the water. Yeah, in golf you're going to get bad bounces with good shots and you're going to hit it close with really bad shots. You're going to chunk it. That's just golf. I keep reminding myself that I've hit amazing shots in the past and I've been completely screwed in a sense.

In a way, no, I didn't really think about it too much. I just honestly right then and there, I was like, oh, my God, thank God that flew the water.

Q. Do you feel unburdened now that you have a major championship? Is there a sense of relief that okay, now I don't have to worry about that at least anymore?

NELLY KORDA: No, not really. I mean, it's really nice and it hasn't really set in, but I feel like you're constantly setting new goals for yourself and you're constantly striving to achieve more in a sense, but I am going to sit down and just enjoy this for a little.

Q. You've talked about your performance, but how have you matured as a person in the last year?

NELLY KORDA: I think you're asking the wrong person. Go ask Jason. I think my attitude out there has gotten better for sure. I used to be really hard on myself. You would never see it, but I don't really show a lot of emotion, so I keep myself looking that I'm very calm, but I think in the past year I've really grown up in the mental aspect of golf game.

Q. In the span of three weeks, you've missed a cut and won twice. Is this going to be a moment that you look back on? Obviously a major champion, world No. 1, but when there is another setback, how quickly golf can change?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it's crazy. Never give up, honestly. I guess that's the motto that you have to have. It's golf; you're going to have -- I bet you I'm going to miss so many more cuts, and hopefully I have a lot more wins, but you look back at this situation, you're like, okay, I can do it, I can bounce back.

Q. You said you're going to reassess your goals now. Now that you're world No. 1, what is the next goal?

NELLY KORDA: Give me some time, please. I don't know.

I mean, it's super important to sit down with your team and to think about it, but you're constantly striving for more.

Q. You mentioned how much Jessica has sacrificed for you and the emotion really started to set in when you gave her that hug. How has she sacrificed the most for you and your family?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, as I said, she has a heart of gold. She's the most selfless person out there. I mean, she's five years older, so she has showed me the ropes of the LPGA, the ropes of professional golf, and I've been super lucky to have been showed that because a lot of people don't get that opportunity.

If I'm struggling, she's right there for me. I can't thank her enough for everything she has done and for how selfless of a person she is.

Q. What kind of lift did you feel walking off that 12th green after the three-shot swing, and can you speak to the battle that Lizette put up over the last couple days here?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I mean, that battle with Lizette, when her putter is on, no one can stop her. It's kind of crazy because in a sense we've played like two different golf courses. Like I have shorter irons in and she has hybrids in, and she still stuffs it so close. She's just such a good player. I know that she's had some unfortunate Sundays in majors, but she's honestly a great player, and props to her because she did an amazing job this weekend. She kept me on my toes.

Q. When you made that eagle, what kind of lift was it?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, I was obviously a little nervous over that eagle putt because I knew it meant a lot that I could get myself to have a bigger -- what's it called, a bigger lead going into the last final holes, especially with 15 coming up, because that's my favorite hole (chuckling). I knew it meant a lot, so I was just happy to drain it because it wasn't an easy putt.

Q. What did your dad say on the FaceTime call to you?

NELLY KORDA: "You're welcome for the boot camp." He's in London, so I'm sure I stressed him out a little today, too. Honestly, my parents are the greatest. They would sacrifice anything and they would take the shirts off their backs for us. We wouldn't be here without them.

Q. What does it mean to be going to Tokyo with your sister?

NELLY KORDA: I mean, it's amazing opportunity to represent our country. Right now I'm just going to enjoy some time off maybe, and you'll see us at Dow representing Team Jelly together.

Q. How special is it for your boyfriend to be out here this week and the last couple tournaments, too, supporting you?

NELLY KORDA: It's been really nice actually. He came out to U.S. Open, and I missed the cut there, and I was like, "This is your fault. This isn't me, this is you." And then he was actually the week I went back home, he was like, Can you just give me a win? I would love to be here for a win. And then I got him a win at Meijer. He's like, You did it for me, and I'm like, No, I did it for myself. But it's been really nice to have him here. It's nice to go back to the hotel and get your mind off of golf and to have someone there to share these special moments with you, honestly.

Q. You're still so young in your career. Has what you've already achieved at this point, becoming No. 1 as a major champion, has this met or exceeded your expectations?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, I don't even know. I don't even -- the thing that's crazy is I don't even think about this stuff. I feel like I'm 30, in a sense. Like you have to grow up so fast being on Tour, traveling, managing everything yourself. I don't even feel like a 22 year old.

I go into obviously every year wanting to succeed and wanting to reach my goals, and to finally check this off my list feels so nice, but there's been so many major champions that -- I mean, Patty, she won, how old was she, 21? So there's been so many young major winners, so it's finally nice to kind of check that off my list, too.

I feel old in a sense, actually.

Q. Panera again? What's the celebration?

NELLY KORDA: I don't know. Just take off these clothes.

Q. Your family is amazing; we all say your genetics are not fair. Putting aside how great they are as parents, can you put into context what your family has done in sports? It's incredible.

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, like you don't realize it until someone really talks about it because we're always so in the zone and we're like -- we're always just striving to achieve more, and for our family just to back each other through every situation -- Seb is top 50 in the world. Man, a year ago he was outside 200 in a sense. He's playing at Wimbledon this year. It's so surreal. And Jess has won this year.

Honestly, it doesn't really sink in until someone says it, and then you're like, oh, wow, yeah, that's actually really cool.