PELICAN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

November 13, 2022

Nelly Korda

Pelican Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome to the virtual media center and real life media center with defending champion and this year's champion of the Pelican Women's Championship, Nelly Korda. Congratulations.

NELLY KORDA: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Now, please just to start off, just take us through how it feels to win again here on the tour and to successfully defend your title.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, feels amazing to get a win under my belt this year on the LPGA Tour. It's definitely been a tough one this year. I'm very grateful that I'm out here competing, traveling, and doing what I love.

THE MODERATOR: I'm going to open it up for questions.

Q. When you sat there with Angela you had an emotional...

NELLY KORDA: Yeah.

Q. What hit you?

NELLY KORDA: I don't know. I guess that question. I've always kind of been emotional after wins. I don't know why. I'm not a crier. People say I'm a closet crier, I guess, but every single time I have won I think I've had a tear in my eye.

I guess just like the stress throughout the day and wanting it so much as well plays a part in it. I did give myself a double fist pump by birdieing 17 today and not making a triple, so that one felt good.

Q. Thought the birdie at 8 really got you going.

NELLY KORDA: On 8?

Q. What did you see as some moments in the round?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, definitely 8. I think I had like 193. I didn't hit my driver very good there. Just played really solid. I made a pretty good like four- or five-footer for par on No. 2 as well.

Rolled in key putts today. I birdied 16 and 17, and that gave me a two-shot lead going into 18. It's tough when you have to wait so long. I had to wait on the tee, then I had to wait -- then I had to wait to hit my approach shot in. That's definitely not the easiest hole. I was in between clubs there. I was in between a 7-iron and a 6-iron.

I literally had the same number I had in the playoff last year. Jay and I kind of laughed about that, but if I hit the same club I would've been in the water.

I just told myself, I'm going to go long. I'm going to try to hit the green, but long is going to be my miss. Yeah, I mean, I was a little bit short of -- you don't want to win on a bogey, but I played really solid golf throughout the entire day and just took the loss there.

Q. What did you hit?

NELLY KORDA: Tried to hit a controlled 6-iron but it just bulleted through the wind.

Q. Given all you've been through this year with your health, how does this win hit differently and that hug with your dad?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I've said it so many times, but it's just been such a rollercoaster. I mean, I guess that's life though. There has been more downs than ups this year I think, and I think that that's what makes this so much sweeter to me.

I didn't think I would get -- with the way my game was as well in the last two LPGA starts that I had, I didn't think that I maybe had the confidence that I was going to win.

But I had a good solid couple weeks, and I told myself, step by step. I had good memories on this golf course. I was home. I had the comfort level of my parents being in the crowd, too, which plays a part.

And, yeah, just grateful that I'm sitting in front of you guys here today. Right now. Not that I would've been dead, but just out here competing. (Laughing)

Q. What does it mean to be No. 1 again?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I didn't even know that was kind of in play if I would've won. Quite amazing, to be honest. I've never been a player that's kind of looked at the rankings too much. I've always said that good golf and enjoying myself out there and playing to the best of my ability kind of solves all that.

But, yeah, I mean, last year I got to world No. 1 ranking after winning a major for the first time and that was really special, and then obviously going through what I've been through this year and regaining that world No. 1 ranking is really special as well.

I've heard somewhere that it's a really tight race; everyone has had an amazing year. I think for me, I just appreciate it a lot more.

Q. You're the first player this year to successfully defend.

NELLY KORDA: Uh-huh.

Q. Is that something you thought about yet, and how does that feel?

NELLY KORDA: It feels really nice. (Smiling.) I've defended one once before, and that was Swinging Skirts, but it was at a completely different golf course.

And then I lost in a playoff this year at Meijer where I was defending for the first time there at the same golf course. So I've been close both times this year, but, yeah, a win is a win. I felt pretty calm out there today. I played really well I think.

It's just an amazing feeling, and I'm just grateful to be playing this game.

Q. One more if I could. You talked about how scary it was earlier in this year. Could you give us a little insight into what was the scariest moment of the whole ordeal with the blood clot?

NELLY KORDA: Just not knowing. Honestly, uncertainty of everything. Obviously you get diagnosed, and I know much about it. Like obviously knew I had a blood clot, but didn't know what the next step was.

For me, the uncertainty of that was the scariest. As a golfer I feel like my life is planned out. I know where I'm going next, I know what to do next, or you would hope to know, but just getting hit with something like this and just not knowing what to do or what my next step was.

Q. Did you Google?

NELLY KORDA: I try not to Google because Google does not make you feel better. It makes you feel worse. Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: All right, I will end with the last question. Heading into the last event of the year, how are you hoping to carry this momentum forward? Now that you have a win, what's the final goal of the year?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, obviously playing well in the season-ending championship is definitely a big goal of mine. Again, it's kind of like a home game. I'll have my parents there, which will be really nice.

But for now I'm just going to enjoy this win, and once I wake up tomorrow, I'll make my way down to Naples and get ready, get my body ready, mind ready to prep going into a new week.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much.

NELLY KORDA: Thank you.