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SWINGING SKIRTS LPGA TAIWAN CHAMPIONSHIP

October 28, 2018

Nelly Korda

Taipei, Taiwan

THE MODERATOR: We welcome the winner of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship, Nelly Korda, your first career victory. What's it like for you at this moment.

NELLY KORDA: Truthfully, I cannot put it into words. It still hasn't hit. It's definitely one of the best days of my entire life. I can finally check that off of my list, winning an LPGA event, something that I dreamed of ever since I started playing.

Yeah, I'm in shock right now, walking off the 18th, I saw my friends lined up and my sister was on FaceTime and I just lost it. I definitely had a couple tears going down my face.

THE MODERATOR: Bogey-free 68 in the final round. Got it going with that huge putt on 4, and then the eagle on 6. What was that little stretch like for and you what was your mind-set at that point?

NELLY KORDA: I was hitting it really well on the front nine. I mean, I played really solid. No. 4 is definitely probably one of the hardest holes on this golf course because you have such a long approach into the green.

I hit the putt a little too hard, so I don't know if you could hear me. I was saying, "Sit, sit, sit," and it caught a little of the hole and I was just thankful that it did.

Yeah, those couple of holes definitely gave me a boost of confidence going into the final nine holes, and it gave me a pretty good lead. I think I had like a two-shot lead, and Wei-Ling, she had a couple oopsies on the last couple holes on the front nine. I just rode off of that all day.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned you talked to your sister right afterwards. You and Jess are now the third pair of sisters, ever, to win on the LPGA Tour. You both have wins. What does it mean to you to join your sister in the winner's circle and just what does that feel like?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I came so close in Singapore. Unfortunately I missed that by a shot. But I've been really motivated the entire year, and you know, I've just been really working towards this goal.

She's been there every step of the way. She's been there for me in Singapore. I know that kind of took me down a bit of an emotional route because I was kind of in the lead all day and I just lost it on 18. Michelle made a great putt.

I was on FaceTime with her and she was saying how proud of me she is, and you know, she was crying probably more than me today. But it's a bond, like that you just can't even think of. She's definitely my best friend. She's been there every step of the way. She knows exactly what I've gone through this year.

It hasn't been a completely easy year for me with being sick and whatnot, but I'm glad that she was there.

Q. How do you feel about playing alongside Wei-Ling, the hometown heroine? And obviously she has the home-course advantage. How do you feel?
NELLY KORDA: It was amazing, seeing how much the crowd was going for her. It was special. They were going for everyone in the group. It was amazing. When she made a birdie or stuck it close, the crowd roars were really loud. I was like, is Tiger Woods playing here? (Laughter).

It was definitely really cool to see, and I love that they support their players so much here.

Q. Do you think that being a runner-up in past tournaments, is that part of the process of learning how to get to the winner's circle?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I definitely think so. I have been in the final group on Sunday now three times. So having that experience has definitely helped me a lot.

I didn't get ahead of myself. I kept repeating this one quote that I had in my yardage book, and I just took it shot by shot and I was saying that, "If it's my time, it's my time," not to get ahead of myself. All these girls are playing really amazing. I just have to stay focused on myself and just stay relaxed.

Q. With your first LPGA win in Taiwan, is Taiwan going to be special to you?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I'm always going to keep Taiwan really close to my heart, and Swinging Skirts. I mean, they were actually my first AJGA win, as well. It was an invitational and it was -- I think it was Yani Tseng Invitational by Swinging Skirts. That's where I kind of also got my first win on the AJGA circuit. You know, it's really exciting to get my first win here. It will all mean a lot to me.

Q. What are you most impressed about Taiwan in terms of food?
NELLY KORDA: Boba tea. My favorite. I like the food. I just kind of -- I like everything. There's not something that stands out more, but I crushed the boba tea. Yani actually got me boba tea on Wednesday, so that made me very happy.

Q. What do you feel about your trophy? What do you think about the design, and what are you going to do with it after you take it home?
NELLY KORDA: I love the trophy. I think it's one of the coolest trophies we have. I remember I used to watch Lydia dominate in San Francisco and always holding this trophy up, and I was like, oh, my gosh, that is such a cool trophy.

Yeah, I don't know where it's going to go in my room, but it's definitely going to be very visible, so everyone can see.

Q. When your sister was doing FaceTime with you, was she home in Orlando? And why did you make the final putt first instead of saving it for last?
NELLY KORDA: My sister is in Florida in West Palm Beach. Yeah, she did FaceTime me.

I putted first because Wei-Ling was standing in my line. It was kind of like a position where I had to go first, but it was okay.

Q. So after this, if you are in contention for a championship, will you save your last winning putt for last? After this, will you save your winning putt for last?
NELLY KORDA: We'll see.

Q. We heard that Wei-Ling said to you --
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, she was like, oh, do you want to putt last? I was like, oh, okay. I wouldn't mind if I just tapped in, but it was okay.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time. Congratulations.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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