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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 15, 2010

Jessica Korda

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Q. Well, you don't seem too distraught.
JESSICA KORDA: Well, I'm glad you didn't see me right after the round.

Q. You looked like you were smiling to me.
JESSICA KORDA: No, I left straight to the locker room.

Q. Can you talk about what was going on out there? Were you just uncomfortable?
JESSICA KORDA: It just wasn't falling. I had the right lines.

Q. Yesterday you were feeling comfortable and putting a little more aggressive. Do you think that had anything to do with it today?
JESSICA KORDA: No, because 36 holes is just totally different from playing 18. So I was a little more conservative. But Danielle was just making birdie after birdie after birdie or birdie on top of my birdies or birdies before my birdies. It was a birdie barrage.
I don't know who says she's not putting well. She's putting well.

Q. How much do you remember playing with her a few years ago?
JESSICA KORDA: I remember playing in a practice round. I remember her being the same distance as me. I don't remember anything else. She had like a blue streak in her hair, too. That's like the only thing I remember, and she told us how she got her scar and that's the only thing. I had a bunch of fun, but...

Q. That said though, while I'm sure you were frustrated. You got some momentum in the afternoon. You had four birdies in a six-hole stretch. Did you feel like you were beginning to build some momentum?
JESSICA KORDA: I didn't make any of those birdies. Those were like more like conceded birdies or was like a foot awat. I did not make a long putt today except for number three this morning. I think that was my only putt today that really fell.

Q. What was your dad telling you? I'm sure you must have discussed your strokes?
JESSICA KORDA: I was a little tentative this morning. I don't know. We really didn't know. I was just nervous, and he knows what happens when you're nervous. I was getting really frustrated with myself not only because I wasn't making, like I was making birdies, but then I was frustrated at her making birdies because I wasn't used to that. All week if I made a birdie then someone else would miss. It would always be just like -- it was getting really frustrating for me, first 18.
Then I went to go take a shower, and I felt completely calm and I thought I was going to get it back.

Q. Your dad's played in a lot of big events and also in the Australian Open final. Did you get any advice this morning from him?
JESSICA KORDA: Just relax and sleep a lot. Sleep's really important. How many hours did we play today? It was getting really hot.

Q. You started at 8:30 and you ended at 5 o'clock?
JESSICA KORDA: Yes, a long day especially for golfing. You really have to concentrate. So it definitely wasn't easy.

Q. The shot you hit on 16, you missed it left there a little bit.
JESSICA KORDA: I actually mis-hit my 3-wood off the tee. My matches before ... I don't know what to hit on that hole. You know, I'm either long in the tree or short. It's just not a hole for my game, I guess. Because if I take driver I'm in the trees, and 3-wood's just too short, and I had a 4-iron.
You know with such a long club going into such a tight hole, and I needed to do something, and I just took a risk and was not rewarded.

Q. You didn't pull driver at several of the holes?
JESSICA KORDA: No, I can't really use driver here, I'd be too long. It's placement golf. I'd use a lot of 4-irons and 3-woods. I didn't really pull out my rescue, but it's been 4-irons and 3-woods.

Q. That was the only green you missed on the afternoon. I mean, one mistake?
JESSICA KORDA: One mistake and just, my putts didn't fall.

Q. So what did you learn about yourself today?
JESSICA KORDA: That's a good question. I'll have to think about it. I mean, I think I played really well. I just need to learn how to relax under pressure.
It was my first finals in I don't even know when. It's not like stroke play where you have a lead or anything. It's just you have to play hole by hole. It's not like you make a birdie and your opponent makes a bogey, and you get two shots, no it's just one.

Q. With your statistics you were 6-under and she was 5. You were 20 under for the lead, and she was 1-under for the lead?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, that feels really good. Thanks (laughing). Thank you.

Q. Really, it goes to a lot of what you're saying. Stroke play event.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, it happens. I thought I played really well this week.

Q. Do you think this will help -- I mean, Q-school is a pretty pressure packed situation?
JESSICA KORDA: It's definitely going to help boost my confidence maybe in a week.

Q. You beat some pretty tough players to even get to the final. Where does this final rank in difficulty? What was the hardest match for you to get here?
JESSICA KORDA: Lisa McCloskey. I was playing really well, and she was playing really well. I don't know what it is about Pepperdine girls.

Q. She's not Pepperdine any more, actually.
JESSICA KORDA: Well, okay, she had the bag, she had the balls, she had the shoes. She had it.

Q. She had to make a putt in that match too?
JESSICA KORDA: Exactly, my putter was good -- I don't know what the heck was wrong with it today. I had the lines. I had the speed. I'm mean, did you see some of the putts I missed today? I don't even know. I'm going to rewatch it on Golf Channel and just see.

Q. It looked like the speed was just a little bit off because the balls were just grazing?
JESSICA KORDA: Well, this morning they were a little off. I haven't played a match at 8:30 all week or I haven't teed off at 8:30 all tournament. I always had 9:30, 10:30, you know.

Q. You had 2:30 the first day?
JESSICA KORDA: I think my practice round was at 8:00. I played with Cydney [Clanton], 8:20, my first practice round, and ever since then I haven't played in the morning. So it was a little difficult for me. And then once I got in the afternoon, a little calmer, I knew what I was going to do. I knew where the pins were.

Q. Did your dad say anything to you after this match?
JESSICA KORDA: I kind of lost my dad. I'll see him at the house. I told him I'll walk.

Q. I'm sure he'll at least talk about it?
JESSICA KORDA: We'll see.

Q. Do you ever get a sense that Danielle began to press a little bit like that time you did get the lead. You didn't miss the birdie putts or the bogies, but did you ever get a sense that she was starting to feel a little pressure then?
JESSICA KORDA: I really don't know. I wasn't paying too much attention to that. I was just, I mean 13, I lipped. 14, I came up a little short, 15, I lipped. 16, well 16. 17, I lipped. If I would have made at least two of those putts, I mean --

Q. You had a few this morning, too?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, not counting morning.

Q. So how did you calm yourself down or give yourself a pep talk to come out here?
JESSICA KORDA: My USGA lady, from the Women's Committee came up to me. So that was nice.

Q. It helps to know people.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, that too. I know people.

Q. Your coach has been here all week too. Have you talked to him?
JESSICA KORDA: He was actually with my dad, so not really. The last time I saw him was on the 12th, yeah when we were handing back the umbrella.

Q. Do you feel like -- I think this is your second Amateur?
JESSICA KORDA: Yes.

Q. Do you feel like you went slower than a lot of your peers in terms of the route that you took moving back to the Czech Republic?
JESSICA KORDA: I played tournaments there. Both my parents kept me under the radar really well. I wouldn't say slow, just differently. I definitely took a different route, so no one really knew that I was doing.

Q. What were you doing?
JESSICA KORDA: I was playing in Czech national championships. I was playing the European Young Masters, which I played both in France. I actually made the Junior Ryder Cup for Europe, but I said no, thinking that I would get on for U.S. Didn't work out. That was a burn. I was with my cousin, who is five days older than me, and we'd like come back here and play with all the college kids that would come back.
I mean, I really did stay under the radar. Lex [Thompson] helped too. I was pretty much behind her always.

Q. So you played in the World Amateurs too?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, I played in the World Amateur. That was fun. That was a lot of fun.

Q. Was there a disadvantage, experience wise?
JESSICA KORDA: No, in terms of international experience, I'm way up there. In terms of U.S. experience, I'm getting up there. I played my second U.S. Amateur and I was in the finals. I wish I would have won, but you don't get what you want always.

Q. Well played all week.
JESSICA KORDA: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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