AIG WOMEN'S OPEN

August 21, 2024

Nelly Korda

Press Conference

STUART MOFFATT: Delighted to welcome two-time Major Champion and World No. 1, Nelly Korda to the interview room.

Can you talk about your experience of St Andrews so far this week, and also the challenge ahead starting tomorrow?

NELLY KORDA: Well, I've experienced all weather already and it's just Wednesday. No, last time I was here, just in St Andrews was during my rookie year. Played Kingsbarns and haven't been back since.

Getting to come back now and get to play this golf course, so much rich history out here, it's been really exciting. I played Monday, played Tuesday and then played an 18-hole Pro-Am today and experienced all sorts of weather, and I know that's what's going to happen throughout the next couple of days. So I'm excited for the week.

Q. The AIG Women's Open is a place you've had success quite a bit the past few years. What's been the key for you at this kind of golf and playing links-style golf?

NELLY KORDA: In a sense, you can prepare all you want. You can play Monday through Wednesday but then, you know, it's all about the weather and taking it a shot at a time, being very present.

And it's also fun because it's a different creative side to golf where you have to work the ball sometimes more than you're used to when you're hitting different shots, bumps-and-runs. It's just a little bit more creative and for me that's fun to do.

So I will have a lot of fun with it.

Q. Going back to the Olympics, how have you reset, refocused, and readied yourself for another major tournament this week at St Andrews?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I went home to Prague, saw my family, and that's always the best for me. Seeing everyone at home, seeing my grandparents. Saw Greyson with Jess, too. That's always a nice way for me to reset and get back into it after that.

Q. Can you describe what it felt like teeing off No. 1 for the first time and coming up 17 and 18 as well?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I played the back nine on Monday, and then I played the front yesterday for the first time. For me, more of it was coming down 18 and the views there are spectacular. I mean, I don't know, when was it, two years ago they hosted the men, or three years ago?

Yeah, getting to see that on TV and knowing that we were going to be here this year, I was really excited for it. The rich history out here and getting to play it ourselves, it's going to be such an amazing week.

Q. Is there a moment you found yourself enjoying these conditions? Was there a turning point in your LPGA career where you started to embrace the challenge of this?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I would say that every single time I get to play over here and play this style of golf, I really enjoy it, not that I would want to play it every week. But I do really like the creative side to playing this type of golf, and, very, very present and not getting ahead of yourself.

Q. What's the most difficult part for you when we get weather like we're going to get tomorrow where it's cold, windy and rainy? Is there like a specific detail of this game that is most difficult?

NELLY KORDA: For me, it's actually staying warm and being able to feel my hands because that's usually why I have gloves, even when it's not really necessarily too cold, I stick my hands in the gloves, and I have hand warmers in there. It's staying warm and loose and not tightening up and being able to commit to your shots.

Q. Earlier in the year, you were on fire, almost unstoppable. How do you sort of describe your game then to now in terms of your performance and how you feel you're playing?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think that's just life in general or, you know, sports. Meaning you're constantly -- you're never just going to shoot straight up. You're going to go up. You're going to go down. I think the best part of the downs is that you leadership so much about yourself and it's always a learning opportunity and I enjoy that. I always try to think of everything in a positive mindset, and you know, now, compared to the start of the year, obviously I've had some finishes that weren't the best but at the end of the day, I'm still learning and I'm still getting better from it.

Q. Your previous appearances in this event, which one do you really take most sort of inspiration from coming into this week?

NELLY KORDA: Sorry?

Q. Your previous appearances in this event. With a one do you feel you can sort of take most from to help you this week?

NELLY KORDA: I feel like every British that I've played has played completely different. I think maybe if they are expecting that high of winds, I would say maybe Troon when we played was really, really high winds.

The difference out there is that one part of the golf course, when you're going out on front nine is one way, and the back is coming a different direction. So you're playing majority of your front nine in one direction, back the other way. I would say that would probably be similar wind conditions.

Q. You mentioned the difficulty in Paris of not compounding errors and that's something you're working on as of late. Is that something you have a conversation with Jason or Jamie in terms of strategy?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think when you get into those situations, you're trying to kind of climb out of them in a sense. You're going to make mistakes at the end of the day. I'm a realist. As bad as it is to be a perfectionist in golf, I'm a bit of that, too. That's what's gotten me to where I am today but it's also -- also, you know, has a negative effect, too, of wanting to hit everything perfect.

But at the end of the day, that's the beauty of like this week is that you're going to hit some bad shots and they are going to end up well and then you're going to hit some good shots that are not going to end up very well. That's what I really enjoy about this week is that, you know, you really have to stay really present and you can't get ahead of yourself, and at the end of the day, you get to be really creative with the game of golf, too, which we don't get to do that on a lot of golf courses where you're aiming 20 yards left of your target and trying to play a major fade into the fairway and trying to avoid bunkers and all of that.

Q. What would it mean to you to win at this iconic place?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I mean, it would be obviously a dream come true to have my name etched into the history. But at the end of the day, I'm just going to focus that one shot at a time and not think of Sunday. I'm just going to think of my first tee shot on Thursday.

Q. You said you've been learning a lot. Maybe what have you learned from not only the incredible stretch that you went on earlier this year but even in this recent stretch when it's been maybe in a little bit of a lull or not what you've wanted?

NELLY KORDA: Probably to enjoy every moment. I mean, you know, we play a sport that rapidly continuously, you move on to the next thing. So to enjoy every moment, and to enjoy the lows as much as the highs and to lean on the people around you.

Q. You're going to have to wait till the weekend to get some youngsters here because the schools go back tomorrow, but there will be plenty here at the weekend. What does it mean to know that there will be young Scottish girls and boys coming here at the weekend to see Nelly Korda?

NELLY KORDA: That's probably one of my favourite things about playing tournaments is seeing all the young girls and boys come out and follow and tell me that, you know, I'm their role model or I'm the reason that they have picked up the game of golf.

Because I had role models, too, that made me pick up the game of golf. Obviously one is my sister but I've had so many other ones, too. Hopefully I have a positive impact on their life, and they golf the game of golf as much as me.

Q. When you're playing such a serious game as golf, how important is family to you and to have them around as often as possible?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think not just family but having a great support system when it comes to friends, your own team around you is super important. I'm super grateful to have an amazing team around me and an amazing family. It's super -- I would say it's very important to also recharge your batteries, and those are the people I have around me. Those are the people that recharge my batteries.

Q. This course has been around for so long that the men kind of feast on it when they come here. Obviously it's a little different for you guys. Can you talk about how you attack this golf course and what you like about this golf course and what you may not like about this golf course?

NELLY KORDA: I would say the way you attack this golf course is by not being in any of those -- in any of the bunkers. They are very penalising. And the way -- I think the one way to approach the mindset of this week is that you have to really concentrate on really good tee balls off the tee and making sure that you're in the fairway so you're not in one of those bunkers because it's an automatic pitch out. You can't go for the green.

I love the history of the golf course. So far I've really enjoyed playing every single day and I don't have anything bad to say about it.

Q. You're playing with Lilia Vu, the defending champion, and Charley Hull the first two days. Just wondered your thoughts on that grouping.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, Lilia and I, we have definitely played a good bit of golf. We actually played a practise round on Monday together, and then I love playing with Charley. She's always super entertaining to be around. I would say she's a pretty good friend out here, too.

STUART MOFFATT: Thank you, Nelly, for your time and best of luck this week.