ARAMCO CHAMPIONSHIP

April 4, 2026

Nelly Korda

Shadow Creek

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here with Nelly after her third round here at the Aramco Championship. Very solid 3-under from you today. One back of the leader. Take us through the day.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, Shadow definitely showed its colors today, or the last couple days. It's been playing brutally hard, just especially the back nine, too. I mean, you saw -- there was like a four-group white on a par-3. It was hard to stop golf balls for us.

So up just kind of praying it was just going to go long or you were actually going for a miss of the green there. Yeah, very happy with my round. These rounds are kind of sometimes even mentally the hardest, so stayed in it quite well.

Q. Obviously great success at this courses match play-wise. How much is getting to play this course as match play kind of helped you maybe pick some different spots stroke play-wise?

NELLY KORDA: It's very different. Match play you can be aggressive and, okay, well if this doesn't work out you lose the hole. Now so you're playing stroke play, and bogey, double, triple, they all come into play.

So you're trying to minimize those mistakes and you can't be as aggressive as you would be in that match play tournament.

So it's very different. It's a very hard golf course, and I think with the wind the past couple days it hasn't really helped us. In fact, it's so firm, too, so it's very hard to stop golf balls. You're almost just playing for a run-up.

So there is no really advantage to being a longer hitter maybe. It's all just about placement here.

Q. How much of a premium are you putting on patience right now?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think it's the most important part. It's the most important mart in golf in general. I mean, you just have to find the ball and figure it out.

Q. The season you're having, does this remind you of 2024 and what seems to be working mostly just the season as a whole for you?

NELLY KORDA: No, I mean, I had a few more wins under my belt at this time. I'm just playing really good golf. I have always worked really, really hard, but I'm proud of the work that I've put in the past few weeks when I had off and didn't go to Asia when the Tour was there.

I just feel refreshed, happy. I'm excited to compete. Last year was just a weird year where stuff was just not going my way by like centimeters. That wears on you, and that's why I like taking like longer breaks.

So I'm very excited to come back and compete. And that's what I did before these three events, is I took a break after I won at Nona and I felt refresh and happy.

I was excited every single day to go out, even it was to the gym or to the golf course and work on my craft.

Q. How much can a birdie, birdie finish carry over into tomorrow?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it's good momentum, but tomorrow is just going to be another beast of a day. You just kind of have to roll with the punches from Shadow.

Q. Nelly, you finished runner-up in your last two LPGA Tour starts. In some ways do you feel as if you're almost due another win?

NELLY KORDA: I mean, golf is funny game. Last year it was just -- last week it was a birdiefest, right? This week you're struggling to make par, grinding out here.

So it's definitely encouraging and great momentum, but from what I've learned with the game is you have to be really humble and happy for where you are right now.

So I don't really like to look ahead. I'm grateful for the opportunities and from the positions that I've put myself in this year I think I've learned a lot from it. After every tournament I come to my coach or putting coaches and I ask where can we improve, what can I do better.

And that's just the game of golf. Just like when you feel like you have it then it kind of slips away from you. I feel like you have to be really grateful for being in contention, being in another final group maybe on a Sunday.

Because I've gone through the waves, roller coasters of the game. It's just made my very grateful for the highs and this good golf.

Q. Final question from me. Two brutal days in a row at shadow Creek. Which was the more challenging for you?

NELLY KORDA: Yesterday I was feeling a little under the weather, so I haven't been feeling great. Just I would say yesterday's wind was a little bit more gusty than today.

I think by the time I got to 16, 17, 18 the wind laid down a little bit, and yesterday was starting to really pick up on those holes.