THE MODERATOR: Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Aramco Team Series Sotogrande presented by the Public Investment Fund. La Reserva Club hosts the third event, the Aramco Team Series, the Ladies European Tour following events in Thailand and London to date.
This will be the first press conference of the day, and I'm delighted to be joined by two of the biggest names in women's golf who are returning to the Aramco Team Series. World No. 3 Nelly Korda, and world No. 14, Jessica Korda.
After a couple of questions from myself, we will open the floor to you guys to ask anything you would like.
Going to start off with you, Nelly. This is you and Jessica's first time this Spain. What are your thoughts so far on La Reserva and the country in general?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I haven't gotten much time to explore. Hopefully maybe tomorrow. I'm really excited to kind of explore Spain a little bit since it is our first time here.
But it's beautiful. The hotel, that's pretty much all that I've seen is the hotel and the golf course. I got to play the front nine yesterday, and it's really, really nice. Windy, but really nice.
THE MODERATOR: And you were obviously close to winning on your first event in the Aramco Team Series last year in New York New York. What do you enjoy about this tournament, the format, and how it's trying to sort of grow the women's game?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think it's a super exciting format. It's always really exciting when you kind of get to do something a little different, a little unique. I think it brings in a little bit of new energy.
So I enjoy this event. I definitely enjoyed my time in New York, and I was really excited to come back here to Sotogrande, especially I've heard so many great things about Spain and the golf course.
I think it's always fun to do something a little different. It's kind of exciting to do something a little different throughout the year when you've played so many events.
THE MODERATOR: And Jessica, you captained your team to victory in New York. I was there. It was pitch black. Again, things are a little bit different in the Aramco Team Series. What are your memories of that experience and your first sort of performance on the Aramco Team Series?
JESSICA KORDA: It was a lot of fun. My manager, Alex, she was so nervous coming down the stretch. It's always fun to see people who really never (indiscernible), you know, a professional golf event. It was really fun, and the whole playoff scenario was just so different to what we normally have.
Sophia and I asked change the lighting a couple times so we could see the golf balls properly because where were so afraid of like chunking it off the tee because it was so, so dark. It was just such a cool experience.
And then playing with a team, it's just different than what we normally do week in, week out, so like Nelly says, you kind of shake it off a little bit. It's just really fun to do that.
Excited to be here and have a very cool experience.
THE MODERATOR: And we have the draft later where you both are team captains so you'll be selecting your team. Have you got your eye on any players, and what do you look for in a playing partner when you make your selections?
JESSICA KORDA: Honestly, I think there is more team captains than they were in New York, so there is obviously less players to choose from. I'm not really familiar with the players that are on the list, so it's just something that my caddie and I are going to kind of I guess wing.
I think I saw that Nelly and I are choosing -- or Nelly is choosing last and I'm second to last, so probably, you know, we'll cross some players off.
At the end of the day we just really want to have fun out there and enjoy our time here, because that's the whole point of this event, is to really have fun, be able to put together a good score. But you're stuck with the same people for three days -- is it still three for Sunday?
THE MODERATOR: Yeah, yeah, it's three but the team event is just the first two days.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, so it's just hopefully we can get good partners and people to just enjoy or time with.
THE MODERATOR: And the players always comment that they enjoy the camaraderie and it's quite relaxed. How important is it to come play different with different tours and play with different players from sort of different countries obviously with your background being in Europe as well?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think it's super important to help grow other tours as well. At the end of the day you're always just trying to grow the game of golf, get more people interested, show them it's super exciting. I think this, the Aramco Team Series does that perfectly.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. (Regarding playing against each other.)
NELLY KORDA: Like Jess and I play against each other?
Q. Yes.
NELLY KORDA: I mean, we play against the entire field. You play against the golf course at the end of the day. I mean, everyone is playing against the golf course. I feel like there is not -- it's not like tennis or a match play event where you're playing one on one.
So you don't really focus on your competitor. It's more like you're trying to focus on putting together a good, solid round and see how it goes. You're trying to beat the golf course.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, we've been here together. We've had a fun time, you know, which is really nice.
But we're really trying to put together the best score. We've never really been paired up against each other in a match play situation, so...
NELLY KORDA: Thankfully we both represent the same country in Solheim, so.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah.
Q. This time next year is the Solheim Cup in this part of the world. Do you look at this week to kind of give you some experience with the climate, the conditions?
NELLY KORDA: I guess, yeah. I mean, we talked to Stacy a couple weeks ago and she was like, If you guys want to go out and check out the golf course I would love for you guys to do that.
I don't know if we'll have time, but, yeah, I think it's going to be super exciting next year. Hopefully we qualify for it.
But Solheim Cup is always so much fun and it brings golf this whole new energy and hype. I think it's fun, and hopefully Spain gets behind it.
Q. You were second last time. How much would you like to go one better this week?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it would definitely be really nice. Every event that I play in I try to play my best and get to the top of the leaderboard. Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn't. But I always try and get there.
So it would be nice to get the victory, as it would be any week.
THE MODERATOR: How do you assess your form kind of coming into this off the back of the events in Europe and sort of heading into the rest of the summer? What can we kind of expect this week?
NELLY KORDA: I think this is our sixth week on the road. Right?
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, I think so.
NELLY KORDA: I spent last week in bed because I was sick, so I don't know how good it is right now. Hopefully it'll be good by Thursday.
Yeah, we've played so many events now, so I feel like we're in a good flow.
JESSICA KORDA: Yeah, it's been a long stretch on the road, but excited to be here. Our last event was the British Open, so still kind of in that mindset of flighting golf balls, so that helps. Definitely helps.
Yeah, it's going to be -- I think we're excited to start the week and see what we got.
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