Nelly Korda sits down with the golf media ahead of the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath.
Q: New challenge for the players this week. What do you make of the test of Walton Heath?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I played in the Pro-Am yesterday, I played the back nine today and then I played the front nine Monday. It’s very soft, especially yesterday. I mean, completely different golf course from yesterday today.
But it plays pretty long, and it’s going to be a good challenge depending on what the weather is going to be like, if the golf course is going to firm up by the end of the week it could play completely different to the practice rounds.
Q. You’ve had a Top-10 in the Championship before. Looking to improve on your record here perhaps?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, hopefully. That’s the goal.
Q. You mentioned it’s quite soft at the moment, and we’ve had a lot of rain. Do you think that gives you an advantage given your length?
NELLY KORDA: I feel like every single time I’ve talked about maybe having an advantage because of length at golf course, you actually kind of see more of the shorter hitters playing well. I think it’s just about getting the ball in the hole. I mean, they are used to hitting hybrids into the greens.
I mean, at the end of the day, everyone just has to play their own game and keep it in play. If you are not hitting the fairways, it gets pretty tough out here with chip shots out. I would say the greens are pretty slow. There’s a lot of subtle breaks to them but I also think they have gotten a lot of rain in the past two weeks, so it’s played completely different to what it played maybe a month ago.
But I do see that that’s going to be good weather throughout the rest of the week, so we’ll see if it firms up. But right now it’s going to be a good challenge.
Q. Is there one particular part of the game that you think is particularly important around this course?
NELLY KORDA: I would say off the tee is very important.
Q. Because you’ve got three majors in America, one here and one in France, if you were explaining to people back home that didn’t know about the two on this side of the Atlantic, how would you describe the British Open, a women’s one, that is.
NELLY KORDA: To an American?
Q. To an audience.
NELLY KORDA: I would say it’s a completely different style of golf. I would say depending on the weather and style of golf course, you have to have a lot of creativity out here. You have to hit shots you normally wouldn’t on other golf courses. Typically with golf courses in the US, it’s very tight off — and you have to hit it high into the greens, and here you actually can chase it up. I mean, here you have to hit low bullets out here so the wind doesn’t affect it.
So I think British-style golf courses, you have to use a lot more creativity.
Q. And do you store these extra shots you need in a cupboard until they are needed again?
NELLY KORDA: No, if I need to use, it feel I’m not robotic golfer. I visualise it and I hit it, so I kind of like this type of golf.
Q. Are your family all the same being able to visualise shots, whether it’s golf or tennis, and just carry on, or do the others maybe need more intuition than you?
NELLY KORDA: No, I think we all are pretty much the same. My brother is by far the best when it comes to creativity. I think he’s up there with my dad. But I think we are all very visual and we like to kind of play with it a little bit. We’ve never been robots. We weren’t raised that way. We were raised to kind of see the shot and hit it. Find it again, see the shot, hit it.
Q. Are there any other aspects of the courses setup that have taken your attention?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I would say No. 2 is very interesting for a longer hitter. Driver gets into that bunker in the middle of the fairway, and possibly if it’s downwind, it’s 3-wood. And my 7-wood lays pretty far back because it’s a pretty high, spiny club. So I actually hit 3-wood, 3-wood into that green yesterday.
So I would say some of the holes just position-wise, it’s just better to lay back and have a longer club in and just take your par instead of risking trying to hit a driver in a pretty tight area and eventually being in the bunker.
Q. Have you tried any shots out of the heathland yet?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, almost broke my wrist today. It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy. If you get a good lie, then maybe but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree just to try to get it back into play. It’s really tough to get out of that.
Q. We have seen lots of first-time major winners this year. Can you speak about the depth on the Tour at the moment and how tough it is to win one of these events with so many good players?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think it’s across any tour, any sport. The players are just getting better. Athletes are just getting better. They have more knowledge. They more tools to work with, and everyone is way more professional, I feel like, than maybe they were ten-plus years ago.
I would say as a whole, obviously there were a few that were very professional but I would say everyone takes it very seriously now. So yeah, I would say that, you know, it’s tough to win out here. Every year, the girls are getting better. Every year there’s younger girls coming out dominating. Rose came out, winning her first event. It’s getting tough. So whenever you win, it feels really good.
Q. You’ve got a recent win in this part of the world. Is that something that gives you an extra comfort level this week?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, hopefully. I don’t think — it’s a completely different kind of golf course. But that week was so much fun. The wind was brutal and the weather was just awful, and the shot-shaping and the low shots that I got to hit was a lot of fun. I think I’m okay doing that once or twice a year. I wouldn’t want to do it every week, to play in that weather, but it’s a lot of fun.
Q. We had Charley in here yesterday, when she found that you were playing with her, she was very complimentary of you as a player and a person. I’ll flip it around to you: As a person. What do you make of her, especially as a home favourite?
NELLY KORDA: I love Charley she’s so much fun to be around. I love playing with her. I’ve played a couple practise rounds with her. We’re pretty friendly.
Yeah, she’s a fast player, I enjoy that, and she has a really good personality. She’s fun to be around and she’s an amazing golfer. Her putting is ridiculous. Yeah, she’s going to be a fan favourite here, so we’ll have a lot of people cheering for her.
Q. And how much does it help your game playing alongside her and Lydia Ko, two of the best players in women’s golf? How much does that bring the best out of you?
NELLY KORDA: I mean, every week is a little different. Every week you feel a little different. Some weeks maybe the course doesn’t suit your eye but having a good crowd out is nice. You want to perform your best for them as well as for yourself.
I just have a really good group with Lyds and Charley the next two days. They are both really nice girls that I’ve gotten to know over the years. They have really great personalities, so it will be light and fun.
Q. When you shot 64 at the Amundi a couple week the ago, we noticed a driver change. Can you explain why, and is that a change that’s going to stick this week as well?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, so when I first started testing with TaylorMade, they reassured me that they want me to play what I will play best with, so I’ve been trying to kind of figure the driver out, and at the end of the day, they want me to perform my best, and they have been an amazing partner.
They have supported me through the entire process, but right now I’m just going to play with what I played best with and hopefully, you know, they have some exciting things in the work and I’m really excited for the future.
Q. Chris mentioned the win you had a few weeks ago and you’re also a major champion in the past. How can you use that experience coming down the stretch on Sunday?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I feel like every single time you are in contention, you kind of learn more about yourself and how to hand the situation. I mean, I have a really good support system around me, my caddie and I have been together for six years, we know each other really well.
So having someone that you can lean on for those times is really important as well and just knowing your game, knowing how you respond when you have a little bit more adrenaline than normal and to calm yourself.
Q. You mentioned that relationship with your caddie who has been over the years. How good is it that you have both good and bad memories that you can lean on when you’re out on the course?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think he’s been very crucial to my career. I have all my wins with him honestly, actually, all my professional — oh, I have one that’s not with him but I have the majority of my wins with him. He’s someone I can trust and someone I can lean on. He’s the most positive person in the world which aggravates me sometimes but no, he’s great. He’s an amazing teammate and I’m very lucky to have him by my side.
Nelly Korda’s thoughts on slow play in golf
Q. You mentioned Charley Hull is a fast player.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah.
Q. So are you.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah.
Q. Being a fast player, I wonder if I can hear your take on the situation in Evian the other week where a player got penalised.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think at the end of the day, The Rules of Golf are The Rules of Golf and they should be enforced. I really like Carlotta. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her. I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day The Rules of Golf are The Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.
Q. In general, what do you think about slow play?
NELLY KORDA: Slow play? I think it should be monitored. I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for 5 1/2 hours to 6 hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling. I would say I think it’s really important for the rules officials to enforce The Rules of Golf.
Q. Bearing in mind the situation as it is at the moment that there are people that are slow on tour, how do you deal with the time when you are having to hang around? Do you have a special policy that you use all the time?
NELLY KORDA: I just kind of slow down, as well. I walk a little slower and I just try to adapt to the pace of my group.
Q. And would you turn off your concentration or joust keep it alive?
NELLY KORDA: I would say that sometimes it does throw off your rhythm as a golfer to play with someone that’s a little slower. But you just kind of have to adapt and play your best with the situation at hand. My caddie and I do a really good job with it, and I haven’t run into any real issues.
Q. What would you recommend to the average golfer who is playing in a three or a four where the others are slow and would probably just curse them? What would they be better off doing?
NELLY KORDA: Hit the ball. No, I mean, at the end of the day, if you’re just a regular golfer and just you’re going out with your buddies, go out and enjoy your round of golf. But the last thing you want to be doing is being behind a threesome or a slow foursome. I would say be respectful to the people around you as well.