|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIPApril 6, 2013Jessica KordaRANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Jess Korda to the interview room here after the third round of the Kraft Nabisco. You shot 68 today, you're 6‑under par overall, put yourself in the hunt. How nice is it to have your whole family following you around? You haven't seen them since January. JESSICA KORDA: It's really nice. My brother and sister got so big. It was really nice to see everybody, and I miss my dad's humor and my mom's calmness, and she did my laundry last night, so it was kind of nice. Q. You've set up shop on the West Coast for the last month or so with a local family. Is that here in the desert? JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, actually I'm staying at the Pete Dye golf course with a family there, and I've stayed with them since my first Kraft Nabisco in 2010. They're like my family pretty much. Q. As they just mentioned on Golf Channel, 10 birdies in the last 26 holes. How do you explain the difference between your start and your last 26 holes? JESSICA KORDA: Apparently someone said my putter was telling me no last night. No, my caddie is from Palm Springs, and he's really good with reading the greens and helping me stay calm on them. I'm just reading them well and hitting them on the lines that I want. So hopefully I can do that tomorrow again. Q. How important was it to get that birdie on the last hole after having the two bogeys? Does that give you some momentum going into tomorrow and feel good about the round? JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, it definitely does. I mean, I had a great yardage to go for it in two, but I just wasn't hitting the ball as well as I was on the front nine. So we decided to lay up and kind of take it a different route. I was just glad that that ball came down off that hill. Q. Do you remember at all your dad winning the Australian Open or were you just too young to pay attention to that? JESSICA KORDA: I mean, I think I have flashbacks sometimes. Q. Were you there? JESSICA KORDA:  I was there. I was in the stands. I had this purple notebook that I was drawing in and had no idea what was going on. But I do remember him like climbing up the wall and running up to me and my mom and lifting me up and saying that he won. So I definitely remember certain aspects of it, not the whole thing, though. Q. Does he golf at all, give you any tips, or is he just dad when he's out there? JESSICA KORDA: I think he tries to be just dad, but the athlete in him always wants to help, and I appreciate any help I can get from him because he knows so much. Any type of knowledge from him is really appreciated. Q. What does he tell you? What can he tell you? JESSICA KORDA: Actually he's just been telling me to have fun, just relax and smile and enjoy it because there's only so much you can do in practice, and then you kind of have to really enjoy it out there because through practice you're not smiling. So that's your job out there now. Q. I don't know if you remember this, I talked to you at the tennis tournament a couple weeks ago, and you seemed very excited about this week, even though it was three weeks away. JESSICA KORDA: Yeah. Q. Even though you haven't played this event that often, what turns you on about this tournament, the history of this, the golf course itself? JESSICA KORDA: Both. Coming from Florida, we don't have these amazing views, and the golf course‑‑ every day I feel like it's so bright outside, it's just beautiful, and you really enjoy it. The people here are great. They always are cheering you on, and the history itself, who doesn't want to jump into Poppies Pond at the end of the day? Q. How would you sum up your parents' philosophy toward their role in your career? JESSICA KORDA: They're very supporting. My parents will always tell me what they think, not what to do, and that to me is really important. They kind of let me make my own mistakes and let me grow as an individual and don't pressure me to do anything. Same thing when I was turning pro, they had an ultimatum, if I didn't make it I was going to go take my SATs and go to school. But I didn't, so they support me with whatever I do and then just lead me on. Q. Is that why neither one of them traveled with you on the first part of the Tour swing? JESSICA KORDA: Actually my dad‑‑ neither one of my parents travel with me anymore. My sister is 14, turning 15, and my brother is 12, turning 13. They're both playing tennis and golf, and so they're growing in their own aspects and their need their parents there. I'm 20 years old. I don't really need them to be out here. I can kind of drive myself around. I've made my own friends that I can go to dinner with. It's just easier for them, and it's definitely nice for both my brother and sister to have their mom and dad at home. Q. Your third year on Tour and you're kind of emerging as one of the young American stars this year. Talk about the state of American golf and where you see yourself in it. JESSICA KORDA: I mean, I think a lot of the girls out here are coming out really young now. A lot of the girls that I grew up with are starting to come out on Tour, and we're kind of having some fun out here, and it's a little different, we're a little more outspoken, more media creative and I think just a little more open towards the fans, and it's great. It's great to see, and I'm just happy to be a part of it and help the game grow. Q. We saw you took part in Golf Channel shoot last week where you got dressed up. How fun was that? JESSICA KORDA: Talk about a makeover. I mean, unbelievable. I've never worn pink lipstick before, nor have I ever had curls in my hair before. It was a lot of fun, the whole makeup process of it and trying to throw a diamond in the air without looking down at it to catch it. It was a lot of fun and it was cool to see everybody get dressed up. Q. Were there some lonely points when you were out on the road by yourself and some scary confusing times trying to figure it out, or did you grow into it pretty quickly and feel like you transitioned on your own pretty easily? JESSICA KORDA: 2011, my rookie year, my dad had some health problems, so he couldn't come with me to Taiwan. I was literally set out all by myself. I sat by myself, I ate dinner by myself, and it was really hard. But I think the girls kind of see that you are by yourself and said, oh, we're going to dinner at this time, do you want to come. They make it a lot easier when you kind of are by yourself, a lot of the girls will kind of take you under their wing and help you out. But definitely by mid year last year I was completely okay. I travel with Jodi Ewart‑Shadoff. We room together all the time, and Michelle Wie is one of my really good friends and Brittany Lincicome is and Vicky Hurst and Sandra Gal. Just through traveling by myself and playing better and playing with the veteran pros out here that you see week in and week out, you get to know them and they get to know you and you just mesh well. Q. How many events each year have your parents been out with you? JESSICA KORDA: Well, through junior golf or‑‑ Q. No, as a pro. JESSICA KORDA: My first year my dad was with me every single week except for Taiwan, and then I did Australia all by myself and then I didn't get to Thailand and Singapore, and then he did Kia and Kraft, and then he didn't come out until the U.S. Open, so this year is their first time they've seen me play since the U.S. Open. Q. Was there a conversation after Kraft that I'm going to let you go or how did that‑‑ JESSICA KORDA: My dad is really good about that. He knew that he can't‑‑ not that he can't be here. That's the wrong word. He knew that it was time to let me go, and my brother and sister do need him a lot more than I would. All he would do is just drive me to the golf course and drive me back and have dinner with me. He got bored probably, too. I mean, that's no fun. Q. You had quite a few great saves today. Can you talk about momentum and how important that is and what you think you need to do for tomorrow to get it done? Inbee is at 11. JESSICA KORDA: I think the putts that I saved were great, gave me confidence, but I was more upset about the shots where I was‑‑ the reason that I had to make an up‑and‑down. I'm going to go back to the range and kind of straighten things out a little bit. It got a little windier out there, so I'm sure that had a little bit of effect on it. All in all I think I played pretty good, and I'm just excited to be out here and somewhat in contention and have fun tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, and good luck tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|