AIG WOMEN'S OPEN

July 29, 2026

Nelly Korda

Press Conference

ED HODGE: Okay, ladies and gentlemen, for our final preview press conference of the day, delighted to be joined by the world No. 1 and four-time major champion, Nelly Korda.

Nelly, before we start, how was the birthday yesterday?

NELLY KORDA: Oh, my birthday. It was great. I played nine holes and then my really good friends came up. So just had a quiet dinner. It was great.

ED HODGE: Good. Obviously two majors this year.

NELLY KORDA: Uh-huh.

ED HODGE: Confident to try and get a third?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, that's always the goal, right, to contend in major championships. My attitude this week is control what you can control. Sometimes with links golf you can kind of get pretty agitated with the bounces that you get. You hit a good shot, get a bad bounce, end up in a pot bunker, have to pitch out unfortunately and save par.

So this week my attitude is going to be control what you can control.

ED HODGE: If you raise your hand we'll get a microphone to you for any questions.

Q. Hi.

NELLY KORDA: Hi.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your strategy for this golf course? A lot of bunkers out there.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, not many drivers off the tee. Probably max four or five.

I have put a 4-iron into play this week, which I don't think I've ever done in a British because I've just never really hit it that good. I have a little bit of a lower ball flight, so always worked with my hybrid.

But I really like this 4-iron. I tested it out at KPMG and I'm putting it into play this week.

Q. Was there a moment in your career where you felt like you really started to embrace links golf or enjoy it more?

NELLY KORDA: I would say I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with it, depending on the bounces that I get. It can get a lot sometimes when like you feel like you're hitting it good and then you kind of get really bad bounces.

I feel like sometimes with it being the fifth major and coming off a lot of condensed majors in a packed schedule, I feel like you're a little bit more on edge because you've been in these high pressure moments throughout this middle part of the year.

We're like coming off a big part in our season. So I always feel like maybe I'm a little bit more tired so the bad bounces get to me a little bit mentally. So I'm just trying to really not get into that state of mind, and that's why I said I'm going to control what I can control. Obviously sometimes it's easier than others. It's easy to say; harder to do.

But I would say with it being kind of in a condensed part of our schedule, I get pretty agitated, and I think what I learned is I just need to take a step back and hit the reset button sometimes.

Q. Finally, after having such an incredible run the first half of the year, how long did it take you to put Evian in the rear view mirror?

NELLY KORDA: Pretty fast. I got out of there. Evian is just a funky golf course. I didn't play that bad actually, if I'm being honest. You know, it's golf. You're going to -- just because you're playing well doesn't mean you're invincible and you're going to make every cut and be in the top 10 every single week.

There will be weeks you just don't have it and you just -- that's the reality of it. I feel like I've done this long enough where I've missed enough cuts that it's just about the bounceback.

Q. Charley Hull was in here yesterday and she was saying what Nelly is doing for the women's game is amazing. How conscious are you of the fact that your peers are putting you on a pedestal, that you are kind of the flag bearer for women's golf? Does that sit comfortable with you or is it a burden?

NELLY KORDA: I think if you asked me two years ago I maybe would've lied up here and said I'm fine with it, but I think that I'm at a stage in my career and at a stage where I'm just going to be myself. If people don't like it, that's fine. If that inspires the next generation, that's great. That's what I would like.

I just had to learn that I'm not going to -- no one is going to make me go this direction, that direction. I'm going to go the direction I want and be very authentic. I feel like when I'm not it drains my battery a lot, of doing what I don't want to do.

I feel like I've kin of figured it out where I'm like, okay, I enjoy doing this; I'm going to say yes to this because that's what I want to do. If that grows the game and makes people watch me, I think that's great.

But I have had to learn that. It's not something that just like came with it. I feel like in 2024 it was a lot at once and I had to go through last year to even embrace it. Because I know like athletes, this isn't our forever thing. We're going to be here and the next generation will come and they will be inspiring the next generation.

So I really have to embrace where I am and appreciate every moment.

Q. On the subject of 2024, perhaps the most emotional anyone has ever seen you was coming of the 18th at St Andrews a couple years ago. How much did that hurt, and can you use that as fuel for this week?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, to be in contention at such an iconic venue, that gives a little bit more emphasis on it. Any time I'm in contention at a major and I sniff the title I'm going to be a little emotional.

Kind of that's what we do. That's why we get up early in the morning and grind on our game, mentally, physically, to be in contention. So to sniff it at that venue, too, obviously hurt a little bit.

But before then I didn't have the best outcomes at The Open Championship. I didn't really play too well. So to be able to play in that weather and be in contention on a links golf course was definitely a little bit motivating, because I knew that I could contend.

Q. Sorry to mention Charley Hull again.

NELLY KORDA: It's fine.

Q. She's had five runners up in the majors. She is understandably getting a bit frustrated.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah.

Q. Do you think just keep banging on the door do you think?

NELLY KORDA: For sure. That's sometimes how she goes. It's about putting yourself in that position. You can't control what others are doing, but she's doing something right to always be there and be relevant, to be in the hunt.

It's kind of like Sam Burns. He's been in the hunt a lot during major championships; hasn't got it done. Eventually he will. You can't get discouraged; it has to be encouraging.

Q. She's a bit of a one off, Charley, putting it mildly. Would to be a popular success globally?

NELLY KORDA: For sure. She's such a great personality. I think it would be great for her to do obviously on kind of home soil, too. She's an amazing player. Funny personality for sure. I enjoy playing with her any time.

But, yeah, I think it would be great for the game of golf.

Q. As your profile has grown the last couple years, what have been the positives and some of the challenges that have come out of that?

NELLY KORDA: Challenges, I would say maybe time management. You know, I really still want to always dedicate my craft, and obviously there are some obligations that come with being in the position I'm in.

Selfishly like I just always want to put my golf first because that's my job and what I love. I get these opportunities because of my golf, right, so I always want to be sure I'm on top of that.

At the end of the day, I mean, what's positive out of it is I get to play with amazing people, I meet amazing people around the world. I play at iconic venues. I get amazing opportunities that a small percentage of people do.

So I think my whole attitude about it is just to really be grateful and to just be authentic. No matter what you do in life there will be pros and cons, and I just try to weigh them out and make sure I'm dedicating time to my craft but also doing a little bit extra here and there.

Q. Was there a moment where you felt like you weren't being authentic or doing something you didn't want to do, and what was that?

NELLY KORDA: Have you ever?

Q. Yeah, I think we all have.

NELLY KORDA: Exactly. We all have. I would say that, yeah, I just think we're just every year growing as people, right, and figuring out what we like, what we don't. Maybe five years ago I was doing what I liked and I don't think I would like it today.

So we're just evolving as human beings and the world is evolving. We're just kind of figuring ourselves out every single year.

Q. Is there anyone at the very top of another sport or same sport or profession that has given you advice that helped you be more comfortable or deal with expectations?

NELLY KORDA: My family. I think they always make sure that my batteries are always recharged. It's a funny conversation. My dad and my mom are always telling me to take more days off and I'm like, no, no, I don't want to. I want to grind on my craft.

But there gets a point in the season where I'm really tired. It's not just golf. It's not just like the travel. It's kind of like a combination of everything that people don't really see behind the scenes, right.

So I would say that my parents are obviously people that I go to all the time for advice. My sister, too. You know, she's been at a lot of majors this year.

I think those are my people. I'm so comfortable and vulnerable available with them. They've seen every side of me and know me the best.

At the end of the day like my team, Kim, Jason, we all kind of come together and I really always want it to be a joint decision, but my family plays a big role too.

Q. Obviously external expectations of you have changed as you've risen through the game. Has your own expectation of yourself changed on the golf course?

NELLY KORDA: I think it's changed in -- last year was a hard year definitely. Obviously coming off 2024 and not getting win and kind of being really close and in a sense maybe disappointed, but still playing pretty solid golf. Stats weren't that bad. I wasn't missing a bunch -- I made every cut but couldn't get into the winner's circle.

I just decided that I need to stop getting so frustrated with everything. Like I'm having a great shot, be in a divot, and I would get frustrated. What is going on? Why am I getting these bounces? I just really hate this attitude.

Like I -- it's draining having that attitude. I just told myself, I'm not going to have this attitude. You slip back into it when you get a little tired, but you're like, okay, snap out of it. This is not why you're doing this. You're here to try your best, like control what you can control. Did I prep correctly? Am I well rested? Am I giving my body what it needs?

If I'm giving everything to my craft, my body, at the end of the day like the bounces are out of my hands. What other girls do, can't control that. I'm here to focus on myself and to do the best job that I possibly can.

Q. Nelly, do you enjoy the challenge of links golf, of finding a way to play a different form of the game? I guess for your dad it was potentially getting himself ready for a grass court season.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah.

Q. Taking you away from what the norm is to actually coming up to the challenges that you face here?

NELLY KORDA: I do. I really do. Obviously only play it for two weeks out of the entire year, but do I love being creative. I love that like everything that you know kind of goes out window. Obviously depends on the weather. I mean, if it's kind of like this it's okay. You can still hit it and land it where you want on the green. But it's those days where it's gusting 25 and you have to hit it really low, those stingers.

It takes my body a little bit after the week. My wrist definitely hurts because the ground is firm and it takes a little bit of a toll. But you're so tired after the rounds because like you're looking at every aspect. There is so many ways I can play this shot. I can bump this with a 54, I can hit it with an 9-iron, maybe an 8-iron.

There are so many different shots you can hit when you play links golf, and I think that's what's really fun. The creative side of like tossing everything that you really know out the window. You're like, I'm not going to hit the fairway because all the bunkers are in play. I'm going to go in the rough because that's a better line into the green.

When do you ever say that when you play like normal golf? I'm just going to hit it into the rough because I feel like that's a better line. I feel like that's kind of what's unique and fun about this type of golf.

ED HODGE: Appreciate your time, Nelly. Good luck this week.

NELLY KORDA: Thank you.