CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 17, 2022

Nelly Korda

Tiburon Golf Club

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Here with Nelly Korda. Ground out a 4-under 68 today. I know couple blips on the card there, but pretty solid day overall. Evaluate your round.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it is windy early on. It was kind of sporadically windy, but then I guess once I got over a couple of my shots the winds died, so those were my like two really about mistakes.

Obviously I three-putted 1 because it's kind of grainy this year and I didn't hit it too solid off the fairway.

But other than that, I gave myself some good looks at birdie. Some that I didn't convert as well. So I think those are positives going into the next three days.

Q. How do you temper your expectations when those kinds of things happen, when the wind dies and you're over a shot and you clubbed up because the wind is going to blow?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, obviously you're a little upset. You just try to make the most of your situation. I actually saved like close to a 20-footer for bogey on No. 2, so I was like, yeah.

So in a sense like that was a positive. I did strike it well. It's just it happens out here. I mean, you have the trees around where you're feeling the gusts on the fairway, and when you hit it it's kind of protected around the green and it doesn't really hit it, or you hit it too low because you're trying to kind of force it under the wind.

So that's just kind of the thing about being aggressive in this wind, is that sometimes you kind of get screwed. (Laughter.)

Q. And finally, it makes sense that you play so well here being a Florida girl and being familiar with these conditions. What is it about Tiburon in particular? There is not a lot of teeth in this golf course, but the greens get pretty tricky.

NELLY KORDA: Correct, yeah. Fairways, the thing is like with my distance, like let's say 17, like that water comes into play. Or like a lot of par-5s actually because of my length I have to thread it as well.

So it's like, yes, there is an advantage to being long, but you first got to hit the shot to have that advantage. So I would say like if you're striking it well on this golf course you will have a couple looks here and there that are a little shorter than maybe the other girls if you're longer.

But you still got to hit the shots. Yeah, I like playing on bermuda, the bermudagrass, obviously on the green. I grew up on it. I'm used to it.

Q. When you make a bogey putt like that does it almost feel like a birdie?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, you're like, thank God. (Laughter.) Yeah.

Q. You hit 14 fairways today. Do you tinker that much with your driver? Have you been using the same driver for a long time?

NELLY KORDA: No, I actually switched drivers the week of -- so I had the TSI-1, Titleist, the week of -- pretty much all last year and to -- God, Arkansas. That's where J.J came out from Titleist. Oh, my God. (Laughter.)

Can we scratch that? (Laughter.) JJ from Titleist came out and fitted me for the TSR-1 that was just launching that week. I gained a good bit of distance, because I was hitting that TSI-1 really good, but my spin was too high. Since was hitting fairways I didn't really mind because it took me so long to find a driver and they did so well by fitting me in a really good driver, that when I tried the TSR, like I just immediately loved it.

I actually picked up some roll and I got the spin down, and, yeah, I'm hitting it a little further.

Q. What is a little further?

NELLY KORDA: Probably like I would say five yards, five, ten yards. Which makes a difference. I mean --

Q. Yeah.

NELLY KORDA: If you get a hole that is downwind your spin is less and it shoots on you, that's a club or almost two sometimes.

Q. Yeah. Last question: You talked about being mentally fatigued at times in the year. How do you feel now? From the neck up.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I was tired yesterday during the pro-am. Thank God we were in carts. I really enjoyed being in carts during the pro-am.

And then I just honestly just take it easy. I know that this is a kind of long week, so I've just kind of been taking it easy and not trying to overdo it.

Q. You feel fresh in a way?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I feel good.

Q. Mentally, I mean.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I feel good.

Q. Maybe a win helps that.

NELLY KORDA: I've always said it's super hard to win back to back, and hats off to the people that do because it is really hard.

But, yeah, I feel okay.

Q. But you've done that before.

NELLY KORDA: I have, yeah. I thought it was like impossible because I always played so bad the week after, so hopefully I don't this week.

But, yeah, we'll see.

Q. Nelly, bit of an up and down day en route to that round of 68. What was the biggest challenge out there today?

NELLY KORDA: I think judging the wind. Made a really big boo-boo on two of the holes. No. 2 kind of flew the green there and that's not very good. I can tell you that.

And then obviously 17, that really kind of ticked me off there. I was really short of that green. That was a big boo-boo for me, especially I've had like 159 yards in. Other than that, I played quite solid.

I had one three-putt, but other than that, I gave myself some good opportunities.

Q. You handled the boo-boos well and have played very well here over the years, four Top 10s. What have you found you need to do well here go so low?

NELLY KORDA: Just being aggressive. I think the length obviously helps, but still have to hit good shots with the length.

So I'm hitting it good. I'm just getting aggressive, and that's usually my game plan.