U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

June 2, 2026

Nelly Korda

The Riviera Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the interview area. I'm joined by world No. 1 Nelly Korda. Nelly, I know you took a spin around Riv. What were your first impressions?

NELLY KORDA: Absolutely amazing. In great condition. I played out here once in 2024, but they had the temporary greens on the par-3s.

But it's in amazing condition, yeah. It's going to be a fun week.

Q. I know this is a week always circled on your calendar. How do you feel coming in, and what did your prep look like?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, two weeks off before, really made sure to get a lot of grind time in. I feel pretty good, but obviously this is the best week almost of the year. You're playing against the best players in the world at an amazing venue that's in pristine condition.

So just really excited to get this week going.

Q. Nelly, given that there have been a lot of tournaments here in the past, what, if anything, have you done to learn from what players have done here on certain holes and maybe specifically the 10th hole? But in general.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, if I'm being honest, I haven't done research at all. I don't necessarily watch too much golf. I had my coach, one of my coaches, Jamie Mulligan, come out here, and he's from this area and he's been at this golf course millions of time. So yesterday he came out and walked with me, as he will today as well.

Obviously he has a lot of knowledge, and I was just asking him some questions, but sometimes too much information isn't really good. So I just try to play the golf course and kind of figure it out on my own. I know Jason, my caddie, has done a lot of research as well on the golf course.

So we'll pick a game plan depending on the day. Every day is going to be different. I know the wind switches here kind of from morning to afternoon based off it coming from the water. So, yeah, every day is going to be a different game plan.

For me, I just try to scope out the golf course myself and figure it out.

Q. What does playing at this venue mean to you? How cool is it to check Riv off of your major championship bucket list?

NELLY KORDA: It's in pristine condition. It's an amazing place. Obviously the men rave about it every year, and for us to get to play this golf course in a major championship in major championship conditions has -- obviously today being Tuesday, yesterday playing, it's already in absolute great condition.

I know some golf courses kind of wait until Wednesday to really speed up the greens, but it's amazing out here. I mean, the vibe of the place, knowing that so much history has been played out here. It's a great place for us to play.

Q. Just the reaction to clinching a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup team in June.

NELLY KORDA: It's amazing. That's why I'm wearing red, white, and blue today. Yeah, getting to represent my country is always such a huge honor. I'm just really excited to kind of tee it up in Amsterdam playing for Ang, playing for our country.

I've always made amazing memories playing in the Solheim Cup, and I can't wait for more.

Q. When we spoke in Cincinnati, you told me you weren't too happy about your swing that week.

NELLY KORDA: Uh-huh.

Q. Can you tell me how you're feeling about your game and how you would assess that going into this week?

NELLY KORDA: A lot of hours on the range for sure. There was one movement that I didn't really like, and I just kept doing it over and over again.

Definitely I think as golfers, we always kind of revert back to our tendencies. So it's always something that I'm working on no matter what. Every single time I step on the range I'm kind of working on my technique.

If it's my grip, when we play, I'll weaken my grip a little more, which makes my hinge a little different. It's kind of funny, golf. You always kind of revert back to your tendencies. You're always working on your setup, your grip.

Beginners may think that we're working on something like crazy, but in all honesty, we're probably, working on the same exact things we did when we started the game.

Q. Can you take us through your prep for this week? Your change in schedule leading up to Chevron was a big key to your success, getting that extra time there. Can you take us through your arrival and how much time you spent on the golf course getting to know it?

NELLY KORDA: Yesterday I teed off around 6:56, and I played 18 holes. I always like to play 18 at a new golf course on major championships and practice a little bit before. Didn't practice at all after.

And try to stay fresh and go practice a little bit beforehand, before I play nine holes today, and then may hit the range a little bit or the putting green after. But I kind of keep it light during tournaments.

Q. Nelly, when you look at the course out there, what are the spots that you think, wow, this is just really cool? And what are the ones that, wow, this is really hard, this could be a really big challenge?

NELLY KORDA: I would say the 1st tee shot is really cool where you're kind of overlooking the entire golf course. Then 10 is just so difficult. You would think like it being a short hole that it's an easy birdie chance, but that green is just so tough. The bunker is tough. Even if you go for it, when they push up the tee, hitting it to the left, it's a really tough chip shot.

So definitely knowing where to miss, I think is a really big key on this golf course.

Q. What about the conditions themselves, the kikuya? That can get thick in the rough. How do you feel like it's set up in terms of you guys being able to hit approaches out of the rough, things like that? Does it feel pretty fair?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, definitely. I would say major championships should always test every part of your game when it comes to hitting the fairway being a key, growing out the rough, distance, the firmness and the speed of the greens.

But it should also play fair. From what I saw yesterday, it checks all the boxes for sure.

Q. What's the strategy on 10? Will you go for it?

NELLY KORDA: Strategy on 10, it just depends on what time of day I play and what wind I'm getting. I know in the afternoon it will probably be more into off the right. If they push up the tee box, I'll be a little bit more aggressive.

But if I -- if they push the tee box, if the tee box is back, I'm just going to kind of lay it up, try to use the left side of the fairway so I can have a better angle into the green.

Q. Obviously you had your best finish at this championship last year. What were some of the takeaways when you sat down with your team after it?

NELLY KORDA: That I was just hungry for more. Last year was just a weird year of kind of not necessarily playing my best, but also when I did, not getting the bounces or just missing by a centimeter here and there.

But I also learned a lot about myself. It made me hungrier to be in those positions.

Yeah, it was just like there's no better place to be in than in the hunt on a back nine on Sunday at a major championship, especially at the Women's Open. It would have been a lifelong dream, but there's more chances.

Q. Curious kind of looking back early days from your first majors versus now, what has changed? What's different emotionally, preparation-wise? What's the difference between that version until current?

NELLY KORDA: I think I'm just a lot more comfortable in my skin. I know what I want to do when I come out. There's a process. There's structure. There's not like looking around thinking, oh, should I do this? Should I do a little bit more? I just come out here with a plan and I execute it.

Q. You've talked about this a little bit, but the success you've had this year, what went into getting yourself ready for the season in terms of both from a technical golf standpoint but also from approach? What changed maybe or maybe didn't change, but what sort of fed into the success you've had this year in your opinion?

NELLY KORDA: I was definitely a little bit more motivated after last year not getting a win, but when it came to just my prep, everything stayed the same. I had -- I didn't go to Asia. I took that time off to really get my body ready, spend some time in the gym, didn't touch my clubs for a little bit. Then when I thought I was ready, I started really grinding on my game. That's kind of what I've been doing for the past three or four years.

I've stayed the course of like I've felt the best this way and I'm just going to continue it. Sometimes you get the bounces and the luck goes your way and sometimes it doesn't. But I feel like people after they've had -- athletes after they've had like a tough year, they try to reinvent the wheel and they try to change so much about their games. I feel like that leads them into trouble. It makes them doubt stuff a little bit more. Maybe you just don't feel very comfortable in your own skin after you've changed a lot about your game, maybe your team as well.

I always just try to be like, okay, this works. I'm putting in the effort every single day, and I know that if I continue this path, like it will change.

Q. Are you the type of golfer that gets to a course and you're like, this really suits my eye, or is that not really a thing for you? And do you feel that way about Riviera?

NELLY KORDA: I've never gone to a -- I've never been to a golf course where I've been like, okay, this really suits my eye. I've been to a golf course where I'm like, okay, I don't like this (laughter).

I do think it's an amazing venue. It's so different, let's say, from Erin Hills last year, and I think that's what's amazing, the different venues we do get to play, the variety of different golf that we get to play.

Yeah, I would say that I'm all about the preparation of the structure we do on the golf course. I'm not a type of player that comes out here and grinds on the putting green, grinds on the range or the chipping green. I'm out here. I'm usually -- on Mondays I'm the first person out on the golf course every week, and I do my prep, play 9 or 18, and I walk off the golf course, and I try to rest.

Q. You mentioned that you feel hungrier for more right now. I guess, can you take us inside a little bit? What does that actually feel like for you?

NELLY KORDA: I'm just motivated to put myself into that position, to grind on off weeks, to just play the game. There's nothing better than being -- it's really hard to explain, but it's really there's nothing better when you're a very competitive person than being in the hunt on a back nine at a tournament. There's a really big rush of emotions.

Even if it doesn't work out, you constantly want to put yourself back into that because all that work that you've put in in your off weeks, that's what makes it worth it. In a way, like I only get one day off a week, and all the other six days, I'm constantly -- I'm waking up early. I'm going to the golf course. I'm working out. I'm getting treatment with Kim every single day from morning to night. When I get done, it's like 5:00, 6:00 p.m., and I'm making dinner and going to sleep early.

All those days, you kind of sacrifice your time at home with your friends or with family, but it's just so worth it because there's no better rush of emotions than being in the hunt.

Q. With another major at another historic venue, I was just curious what your take is on the overall popularity of women's golf right now and kind of your own popularity as kind of the face of the sport?

NELLY KORDA: Definitely don't think of myself as the face of the sport, but I would say that it's growing. I've seen like from my rookie year, or even just maybe 2023, I've seen a big interest in girls, little girls coming out, supporting us.

It's so funny to see -- it's not funny, it's amazing to see how many dads and little girls come out to our events. It is absolutely amazing to see. It has grown every single year. There are times where Jay and I catch ourselves, and we kind of look around to the crowd and we're like, wow, it's amazing to see how many people are here on a Thursday.

So I do think that we are growing. Obviously there's always room for improvement in everything that you do, but I've seen a really big trend in the fans coming out.

Q. Nelly, had to ask you about the jersey. It's a pretty famous number on a pretty famous woman.

NELLY KORDA: Well, it's my favorite number, so that's why I picked 13 (laughter). Yes.

Q. She's out here today. Is that why you have her number on, Alex Morgan?

NELLY KORDA: Honestly, I didn't even know that she was out here today, but it's my favorite number. One, my parents are 13 days apart. Our second major was my 13th win. It's just always been a lot of people think Friday the 13th or 13 has been an unlucky number, but I've always loved the number 13.

I know that the World Cup is starting next week, right? So there's no better place to kind of be patriotic than the U.S. Women's Open.

Q. Do you watch women's soccer?

NELLY KORDA: If I'm being honest, not much, no, but I will.