PNC CHAMPIONSHIP

December 20, 2024

Nelly Korda

Petr Korda

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Nelly Korda and her dad Petr. You guys just come off the pro-am. What's your first impressions of the golf course? I think this is your fourth start here.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, geez. It was good. It's nice to be back. Nice to see everyone. This is such a special event, and for me to end my year and my season on this event, playing alongside my dad, is so fun.

Q. Petr, when you found out you guys were invited again, how excited were you to come and play this tournament again?

PETR KORDA: I was very pleased.

NELLY KORDA: It's the highlight of his year.

PETR KORDA: Yes. I have a few highlights, but this is my highlight.

Q. Do you guys have any goals this week, like to better the score that you might have shot in the past, anything like that?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, honestly, I think our main goal is just to go out and have fun and to put together a really good score.

At the end of the day, this is such a neat and cool event to make lifelong memories, and that's what we get to do, and for us to tee it up for a fourth time together, it's been so much fun.

I'm super excited to play with Fred Couples, personally, so -- sorry, Dad. That's the highlight of my week right now.

I've seen his swing. I've never met him in person. Met him for the first time in person this morning on the range, and getting to see that tempo all day will be really nice.

Q. We know your form has been great this season, Nelly. How about you, Petr? How much have you played this year?

PETR KORDA: I've played a little bit, but I've been very busy with the kids. Sebastian is preparing for Australian Open coming off his injury. I've been traveling with Nelly. So I had some different commitments. Also we have a grandson. So it's been quite a busy year.

Q. Petr, talk about when Nelly was a kid; did you push tennis or golf early on? Was there a preference as to what you thought she would pursue?

PETR KORDA: I think she can answer that question by herself.

NELLY KORDA: No, they always wanted us to be passionate about something, to find what we truly love. Golf was something that he started playing after tennis, and it was something that we could all do together. My sister is five years older than I am, and she was definitely one of my role models in life, so anything she did, I wanted to do. It was a great time for us to spend great quality family time together.

But yeah, we were never pushed into tennis. We skied in the winters. I figure skated. I did gymnastics. We kind of dabbled a little bit in everything.

But at the end of the day, we were passionate about golf, and that's the route that we took.

PETR KORDA: We hide the tennis racquets.

NELLY KORDA: My brother didn't start playing until 12, so he was a hockey player before that. Never pushed us into anything. It was just about finding what we were really passionate about.

Q. You did all those other activities. Are there any in particular that you miss like the figure skating or the tennis?

NELLY KORDA: Probably the skiing. I love the snow. I hate playing golf in cold weather, but I just love snow and cold weather. I make it a trip every year to go out and see the snow because you don't get any of that in Florida.

Q. You've had a great season; we all know it's been a special one. Is there a particular highlight that comes to mind for you?

NELLY KORDA: Gosh, just the whole year. If we talk about the first event of the year in Bradenton in I think January, that just feels like lifetimes ago now. But I'd say getting my second major and having both of my parents there -- my first major only my mom was there, so having both of them there, having my entire team there, was really truly special.

Q. How did you guys celebrate?

NELLY KORDA: The club actually hosted us. We had a really big dinner after in the clubhouse, and we all just had a good meal together.

PETR KORDA: Finally relaxed.

Q. Nelly, with your season wrapped, is there something a little bit more relaxing about this tournament? Do you feel lighter, more relaxed out here this weekend?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I played last weekend in the Grant Thornton Invitational, so that was a team format, as well. It's fun to play alongside all the legends in the game. It's fun to hear their stories when I play alongside them. I've gotten to play with Lee Trevino, and he is so much fun to be around.

This is just more of a relaxed setting, but at the end of the day, we also are very competitive, so we want to play well.

Q. What do we have to do to get you into the TGL building, the SoFi Center? I feel like you'd be a wonderful addition to these teams. What do we have to do to make that happen?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I don't really know too much about it. I try to worry one thing at a time, and that would be interesting, but I'm not the person to talk to in regards to that.

Q. Petr, when you're here, do you find that there's more conversations with you about tennis or about golf?

PETR KORDA: Here it's only golf. I wish it would be a little bit about tennis. It actually would make my life easier.

NELLY KORDA: He would know what he was talking about.

PETR KORDA: But it's to be around all the legends of the golf. It's challenging for me because I'm coming from a different sport.

But just kind of -- when you spend the time, let's say, with Mark O'Meara, I feel like a little kid in a candy store when he talks about his experience and stories, so I'm looking forward to getting some more experience.

Q. Nelly, now that the holidays are around the corner, what do you plan to do in terms of enjoying time off? Do you hang up the clubs for a period of time? How do you go about that?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, my brother unfortunately is actually leaving the 24th to Australia, so we'll only get one day together, and that'll be the 23rd. My sister is already in Bradenton spending time with Seb, but as it comes to a whole, we'll only get to spend one day together, and that's the 23rd, and then he's off.

I'll put my clubs away for a little, but the season is right around the corner in January, so refresh a little and start back up in the new year.

Q. Petr, what's the secret to being the father of such an incredible sports family? How do you and your wife manage, especially with schedules and talent and everything?

PETR KORDA: Unfortunately everybody talks about me. They're forgetting there is always the most important ornament on the Christmas tree, and that's the angel, that's my wife.

NELLY KORDA: Aww.

PETR KORDA: It's a combined effort. She was an important time for Jess while she was growing up and I was still playing. I believe she's the leading force in our family. We try to follow her lead. It doesn't look like it, but it's true.

NELLY KORDA: Well, everyone is just really involved. They were truly really involved in everything that we did growing up. We were never alone. Every single lesson that we had, they were right there.

Very family oriented, and they committed their whole life to us, so we're very grateful.

PETR KORDA: It was not easy. One week Jess was playing a tournament in Orlando, Nelly was playing a tournament the same day in Tampa, and Sebby was playing hockey in Fort Myers. We made it on --

NELLY KORDA: Three kids, two people.

PETR KORDA: Just two of us with three kids, but I think that's how we became -- we are very close. When one of them is struggling, they know how to support each other. I think that's what makes us as parents, our lives much easier.