KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2022

Nelly Korda

Congressional Country Club (Blue Course)

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here with Nelly Korda. Opened her title defense with a 1-under 71. Pretty cold and windy when you started today, but not the way you would have liked to end your round, but overall always good to start a major under par.

NELLY KORDA: The front nine was brutal, the weather we played in. 9 was -- oh, my gosh, I had driver, hybrid, 7-wood into the green. That's the longest par-5 I've ever played. I was happy to play the front nine even.

I took advantage of a couple of the opportunities that I gave myself, but, yeah, 18 was hard. I still have three more days, hopefully.

THE MODERATOR: Absolutely. The course received over two inches of rain last night. How was it feeling out there?

NELLY KORDA: Long. It was definitely really, really long. Especially for me. I am one of the longer hitters on tour. It was long.

Q. You had another under-par round. What part of your game is clicking, or maybe it's what part isn't?

NELLY KORDA: I think every part of it is clicking. I'm hitting it pretty good off the tee. I'm hitting my irons well, and I'm making some putts when I need to.

So I think overall every part of my game is kind of syncing up together.

Q. If you were to have to assess given where you are now as opposed to where you were at this point last year when you were winning on -- on that winning streak, how would you compare the two?

NELLY KORDA: I wouldn't even know how to answer that because I feel like when you win a golf tournament, you could be feeling the same way with your golf game finishing 20th and then maybe winning.

It's just everything kind of -- you have to get the good bounces. You have to finish on the right side of the greens. You're still striking it well. You're still putting it well. I feel good about my game.

Last year it was a great stretch that I was on, but I feel as good about my game as last year.

Q. Nelly, as one of the longer hitters out here, what were some of the clubs you were hitting into the 5s?

NELLY KORDA: Into the par-5s?

Q. Yeah.

NELLY KORDA: On the first one I had a 9-iron in, and then I had a 7-wood into the next one. Then a pitching wedge, and I think a pitching wedge again.

It's pretty far. I'm hitting wood with my second shot, and then I'm hitting a longer iron. I don't have a wedge in my hand. Well, pitching wedge is still a wedge, but...

Q. What sense of accomplishment does it give you to shoot a score today when it's playing this long, it's raining, et cetera?

NELLY KORDA: Any first round under par is good at a major. I don't know what golf course In Gee is playing. She must be playing really well. I would think when I tee it up today, I would be very happy with the score that I shot.

Q. When you looked at the forecast, what did you expect the setup to be today? Did you think it would be a little shorter?

NELLY KORDA: I didn't really know if it was going to be windy. I never really think about the setup. I kind of think about the hole when I get to it. That is my caddie's job. He thinks about the setup.

He was a little shocked that we were playing so far back, actually, on a couple of the holes. Especially with it being so wet and soft, the ball not rolling out. I had a lot of 5-irons today.

Inbee, I think -- gosh, I think it was 4 she didn't even get there with the 3-wood on her second shot, and that's a par-4. It was definitely playing really long in the morning with the wind and with the rain.

Q. Is that where you hit 5-iron on --

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, and I came up short too. I should have hit hybrid. I had a couple of hybrids, I think, into a couple of the par-4s on the front nine.

Front nine, I think, is a little harder just because you have so many blind shots on that. You kind of hit it, and then you're, like, oh, short.

Q. How far do you hit 5-iron?

NELLY KORDA: In this weather probably around 185.

Q. Nelly, when you see In Gee posting such a low score, how does that, if at all, change your thought process of what you have to do tomorrow, maybe going into the weekend?

NELLY KORDA: Just stick to your game plan. Anything can happen. You still have three more days, and they can do whatever they want with this golf course. If it dries up, they can make it really hard.

Some of those pins today were brutal. I think because they thought it was going to play soft, I think they were going to kind of trick out with some of the pin positions. I think they were going to put them on the ridges and make them a little harder, which it did.

I think at the beginning part of the day you saw some higher numbers. In Gee is just playing really well, and applause to her. Sometimes it just has to be your week, right? You're going to continue to stick to your game plan and hopefully shoot some good numbers coming into Sunday.

Q. Do you think you can be more aggressive? The weather is supposed to clear up, and it's supposed to be sunny. Obviously, the greens aren't going to be as receptive, but it's probably not going to be playing as long if it's sunny the next few days.

NELLY KORDA: Hopefully. With these greens you have to kind of pick what holes you are aggressive on or what holes you just give yourself a 20- or 30-footer, and you hopefully make those as well.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks so much, Nelly.