BMW LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP

October 20, 2023

Nelly Korda

LPGA International Busan

Quick Quotes

Q. So it's been four years since you've come to Korea and four years since you've been on the Asian swing; is that correct?

NELLY KORDA: Well, kind of. I played at Singapore and Thailand earlier this year. But I was back in Asia in 2021 for the Olympics.

Q. Is there a particular reason why you decided to return to especially Korea and just the general Asian swing this year, and then how has it been for you to come back after four years?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, obviously, you know, during COVID I didn't really want to travel too much internationally. But obviously since the travel restrictions have been lifted and everything is much easier, there's no better place than to play in front of all the Korean fans. They're very passionate, and they're really fun to play in front of.

And I just -- I really like it here. I enjoy the food. I enjoy the culture and obviously the people as well.

Q. In the tournament, eight of the top 10 players are playing in this tournament, and you're one of the favorites to win. And this could really be a boost for you becoming perhaps the No. 1 player in the world. It could create that momentum. So do you have any short-term goals, keeping that in mind?

NELLY KORDA: I mean, I want to win every event that I enter. I go into every event with a mindset of wanting to contend. And I try to stay very present. So whatever is right in front of me currently, you know, is what I focus on.

But the end goal is obviously to contend in all the tournaments that I ever play in.

Q. Last year you were ill, you had an injury, and then you had a win. And you teared up a bit. How difficult for you was it to sort of get over that?

NELLY KORDA: I think that injury wasn't just a small injury. It was kind of -- it was a little bit towards my everyday life, like it was a blood clot, right?

So obviously I put golf aside during that whole -- that time, and I wasn't sure when I would come back or like how I would succeed when I would come back, like how I would play, because it's tough to take four months off and then be in tiptop shape.

And I came off of a really great year in 2021, and all the expectations from myself and maybe people around were very high. So to have that injury and to be out was very disappointing.

And then the year obviously I did get to play a couple of events after my injury before my win, and it was kind of up and down with my performance. So it was very nice and rewarding to be able to finish on top again.