HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

March 1, 2023

Nelly Korda

Sentosa Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are here in the media center at the 2023 HSBC Women's World Championship with Nelly Korda. Last week in Thailand, how exciting is it to be back in Singapore and playing Sentosa Golf Club?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, super excited. I think the last time I was here in '19. I really enjoy the golf course. I was pretty close in '18 when Michelle won. Obviously playing last week going into this week, hopefully have some good momentum.

THE MODERATOR: You obviously got to see some of the golf course yesterday. What did you make of the golf course and how does it suit your game right now?

NELLY KORDA: I got to see all nine holes. Unfortunately, actually, I didn't get to see the front nine. I played the back nine, and I heard that No. 3 green is different from the last time I was here. So tomorrow will be the first time I'll be seeing that, the front nine.

So we'll see. But yeah, the golf course is in great condition. I'm sure with the weather, it's probably going to be a little softer but I've heard that they have just been getting a lot of rain recently. So yesterday was a little soft but I think the golf course drains really well. But yeah, the golf course is nice and green, and actually in really good condition.

THE MODERATOR: You got here early in the week this week for a special reason, a surprise birthday party you planned for your sister, Jess, on Monday. The cake was hilarious.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, Dirty Thirty for her on Monday. It was fun. She didn't expect it at all. She walked into the restaurant and we were set up all the way in the back. Obviously I didn't really know what it looked like. My dad's friend, Michael, helped me with it. I had to push her and she was like, "Why are you pushing me?" And then everyone came out and surprised her. Yeah, the cake was funny, it said "R.I.P. 20s" on it. She got a little bit of a laugh from that.

We had a couple of girls come out and it was fun. It was a good night.

THE MODERATOR: I know she's obviously your sister but also your built-in best friend out here. Being able to celebrate her, what did that mean to you?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, we were kind of joking that she's celebrating the majority of her birthdays on tour in Singapore, and obviously she's my sister, obviously built-in best friend, built-in dinner buddy and we spend a lot of time together. She has not been on tour for a couple months due to her injury. It's nice to have her out here, and obviously the first day back, first week back to celebrate her 30th was really special, too.

THE MODERATOR: Let's talk about your season, obviously got started at the Tournament of Champions this year and played pretty well and that wasn't what you wanted but still top five and made good golf last week, finished sixth. But what are you looking for from your game this week? Seems like you have some momentum, but just kind of continue it?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, good momentum. I think last week I just made a couple more mistakes than I wanted to, especially on Saturday. I feel like I was actually -- I just had way too many bogeys on my card to really kind of be in contention. Obviously still finished the week well, inside the top 10, a bunch of positives from last week, even just from Tournament of Champions to Thailand, I think I saw a good bit of improvement in some areas.

But it's always exciting to me when there are areas where you can improve. I think that's the beauty of this sport where you can constantly push yourself and improve in areas. So yeah, hopefully, you know, going into the kind of busy, busy summer that we have full of majors, I can kind of peak there. Obviously that's the goal for everyone. Playing in these events to see where my game is at, hopefully I can get myself into contention, and feel the juices flowing.

THE MODERATOR: Do you feel like there are a lot of built-in breaks this year, do you think playing back-to-back weeks makes you sharper or is it a little more challenging.

NELLY KORDA: It depends. So I do like to play back-to-back weeks. Typically I like to do that with majors, too. Obviously you're a little bit more tired because with majors you want to go out on Mondays.

Typically with, like, in a regular, like, event, I'll just make sure -- I'll just take Mondays off but at majors I'll always play Mondays because you don't know what the golf course is like, and obviously you want to touch over hole because it's a new golf course.

But my max is three weeks in a row to four. You get kind of tired there but back-to-back is nice because I feel like one, you can learn from the week before, and to see what you kind of need to focus in on into next week; and two, obviously if you play well, the momentum is nice, too.

Q. (How do you feel about the roster at TaylorMade now)?

NELLY KORDA: I played TaylorMade growing up. My sister was -- TaylorMade her first couple years on tour, so obviously I had to do whatever she was doing.

No, I grew up playing TaylorMade, so it's kind of like a homecoming to me. Obviously the roster of players that they have is amazing and to just be a part of that is super special. Yeah, I mean, I love the clubs. They do a really good job with the way that they put the players first. I feel like they go above and beyond for each player that they have on their roster and to me that's what it means the most, to see how much hard work they put into each player to make sure they are performing at their best. But yeah, the entire experience of changing has been really smooth, and they have been amazing to work with, and obviously it's a plus to be alongside all those great golfers as well.

Q. The landscape of men's golf is going through a lot of challenges. Just looking out, looking in from outside, what impact do you think it's going to have on women's golf?

NELLY KORDA: My sister and I were actually talking about it. So she joined in -- her first year on tour was 2011, and if you actually look at it from just an outside perspective, the amount of growth the LPGA has had from just 2011 to 2023 is amazing.

I mean, I obviously think COVID has helped the interest in golf. I think that what we are doing with the product that the LPGA has, and the amount of people that are interested in the sport, is continuously growing.

I think the motto that I think -- it's not a sprint; it's a marathon, and when you can continue growing the sport little by little, even when it comes to inspiring a new generation or obviously our purse increases, that's a plus. But seeing the growth just from the time my sister has been on tour to 2023, honestly is crazy to me.

THE MODERATOR: I think the motto, sprint not a marathon can apply to this week, the weather, I know it's not ideal but in South Florida you're used to playing with an afternoon thunderstorm. Are you the kind of player that likes to play in the rain? Can you adapt well to these kind of conditions.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, typically. I don't like to practice -- I mean, if it rains in Florida, that means that there's a thunderstorm or there's lightning here, so I feel like it's very similar to Singapore here.

At the end of the day everyone's playing in the same weather. Everyone's going through the same circumstances, and whoever plays the best, wins. You know, hopefully I can get together a couple of good scores and the weather holds up.