HILTON GRAND VACATIONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 20, 2022

Nelly Korda

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Wells Adams making his debut at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Shot a 30 today. Not too shabby. Overall what was the experience like today?

WELLS ADAMS: Just like trying not to skull one into a spectator is basically my main goal out here.

It was a lot of fun. Course is tough, really tight, and so it's a lot of target golf. When you're nervous -- like I've never done anything like this before, so when you're nervous it just turns up the pressure on you like that.

So to break 80 was huge for me. I feel very good.

Q. Overall what was it like inside the ropes playing with Ben Higgins and Ariya Jutanugarn, one of our most decorated players out there?

WELLS ADAMS: Yeah, she's won two majors she was telling me, and her sister was right in front, so that was fun. We got to go visit with them when we got backed up.

We all watch the LPGA and the PGA on TV, but you don't really like -- you don't get to see how good they are until you're right next to them.

That girl is so amazing, and she doesn't carry a driver. She just hits 3-wood. I hit the ball pretty far. She outdrove me almost every hole with a 3-wood. That was a nice Wells, come back down to earth; you're not very good at this game.

But like the thing that separates these women from everything is how pinpoint accurate they are from long range. That's the difference between the weekend warriors and these guys is they can hit 6- and 5-irons to five feet.

Seeing that is just bonkers. So much fun to witness.

Q. Why did you want to come out to something like this?

WELLS ADAMS: Well, I played golf in high school, and then I kind of stopped, and then when I moved back out to Los Angeles the weather was nice 12 months out of year so I thought, I'll start doing this again.

I put a simulator in my garage at the beginning of COVID, so started working on the game. Wanted to see if I can do it. We all can go out and drink a bunch of White Claws and have a good time, but can you go and hit balls when everyone is watching you and make putts?

Just wanted to see if I could do it. I think I did an okay job today, so feel pretty good.

Q. You absolutely made your way around there. You're right up toward the top of the leaderboard. Think you'll show back up tomorrow then?

WELLS ADAMS: Yeah, I'm going to come back. We'll see how my back is doing. Tightened up there a little bit. That's another thing. We all are in golf carts every weekend on the course, so having to walk and play and all this stuff, I have a newfound respect for the athleticism of these ladies out here.

Q. What was your investment in the simulator, and how good did it help you get?

GABY LOPEZ: Well, I went the cheaper route, went the SkyTrak, I figured out like all the things I needed and then bought it all an Amazon. So all in was like five, six grand.

It's the greatest. I go and hit in this thing every single gay. It's awesome.

Q. What's improved most? Just knowing your distances?

WELLS ADAMS: Yeah, so I think the thing that a lot of us weekend warriors don't do is learn our wedge matrix, and that's like -- obviously pros do it where it's at 9:00, at 11:00, like what those yardages are.

So I did a thing where I learned what everything was for my wedges, and then I have painter's tape and I've written down the numbers. Any time I am, All right, I'm 70. I know this is just 9:00, 60-degree, that's helped immensely.

Q. What are you carrying for a handicap?

WELLS ADAMS: I'm like a 3 right now.