THE MODERATOR: I think if I told you at the beginning of the tournament you had a four-stroke lead after two rounds you would be pretty happy. A little hiccup on 18 but overall fantastic round. Just talk us through it.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I had a really good stretch of holes. I think I was like 4-under or 5-under through four holes at one point on the back. Or on the front. The heat's getting to me. I just stayed really solid today. On the front I was definitely hitting it better and on the back I wasn't hitting it as well but making the longer putts.
THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions.
Q. Such a great round, looked very comfortable. Wondering if you knew your position in relation to 59, if I can say that word, when you went to 18.
NELLY KORDA: I mean, no, not really, I wasn't thinking about it at all I was like, oh, cool, I have a pretty good lead going into 18. But unfortunate that double on 18, but that's golf and that's just how it goes sometimes.
Q. I couldn't quite see from the angle, was the tree a complete blockage, was it just a limb, was it just stupid to even think about it, what did you have there?
NELLY KORDA: Honestly the limb was in my way and I would have had to like drawn it around out of the rough. I just didn't think it was worth it, honestly. I was more thinking of, okay, pitch it out and then try to get it close and try to save a par. But I was a little too cute with that pitch shot and caught the bunker.
Q. In terms of the completeness of the round and the I wouldn't want to call it the ease of it, but it just seemed like so many fairways, so many 10-, 15-, 20-foot range. Does that rank among the best rounds you've played or can you think of others?
NELLY KORDA: I mean, I've had a lot of good rounds this year, I've been playing really well, I've been striking it really well. I think I've had a couple 9-unders, so it was definitely one of the best, yes, but golf humbles you. I got a nice little double on 18. (Laughing).
Q. Can you talk about the eagle you had on the front nine.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it was a reachable par-4 today. I hit a 3-wood just long right of the pin, probably I think I had around 25 to 30 feet. I just had to putt down a ridge and made it.
Q. You had said out there that you were hitting the ball really well the first three, four holes and then you kind of loss that, but your putter warmed up. That's the round, I guess, basically.
NELLY KORDA: Well I didn't necessarily lose it, no. More on the back nine I think I sprayed a couple of wedges out to the right more than I would want to. Probably like 5, 10 yards. But it wasn't bad. I was still hitting my tee shots really well, still executing it, but yeah I think the heat kind of gets to you a little and maybe I got a little sloppy with my technique. But my putter saved me at some points.
Q. On 18, obviously you're playing defensively on that second shot. Is that the only time during the round that you had to play somewhat defensively?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah. I think I didn't miss a fairway, honestly, if I have to think about it, that was the only fairway I missed today. I don't know.
Q. When you moved past the win at Lake Nona and then your stretch leading through Atlanta, the gap in between, was there anything fundamentally swing-wise that flipped a switch for you from June onward?
NELLY KORDA: No, in a sense. I'm just, I'm constantly working on the same thing and have been for the past couple years because when I'm on the road I kind of revert back to it, so it's more of just like maintenance. But I haven't implemented anything new. I mean I switched to left hand low putting and I think that's helped quite a bit.
Q. When did you do that?
NELLY KORDA: Right after U.S. Open.
Q. Has it felt any different to you this tournament out on the course? Do you feel just the same as usual or is it bigger?
NELLY KORDA: No, I think I honestly feel the same. I'm wearing USA across my chest, I think that's really cool, huge honor, but other than that I'm approaching it as I would any week. I think when people ask me if I prepare more or put more meaning to normal or majors or Olympics or whatever, I say no, because I go into any type of event with the same demeanor and the same goal.
Q. Tomorrow morning are you expecting any extra nerves then or not so presumably?
NELLY KORDA: Hopefully not. We'll see how I sleep.
Q. What will you do tonight? What will you and Jessica get out to do?
NELLY KORDA: Go to dinner and go to sleep. It's an hour back to the hotel, so takes up a bit of time and by the time you get back you shower it's dinner time.
Q. Putting was just so good I have not a single question to ask you to explain it. So let me try and just ask you what your favorite moment was out there today. Was there one shot or one putt or one anything that you'll think nicely of? Don't say the double.
NELLY KORDA: I would say probably my first birdie on the par-5, was it 5? 5, yeah. It was like, it was a double breaker and it's probably the hardest putt I made so far this week. So it was nice to start off with that birdie. Also the eagle wasn't bad as well. It was nice to see it go right in the center.
Q. Was that putt on 5 harder than the one on 6?
NELLY KORDA: I think they're both hard in different ways. I had to, on 6, I had to putt down a ridge so I had to really make sure my speed was right so I didn't blast it by. Then the one on 5, the par-5, I just had to read it correctly with the double break.
Q. But regardless of how your swing stays with you or doesn't for the entire day, when you hole a couple of really nice putts early, does that thought stick with you the rest of the day?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I mean it feels good. I mean it definitely gives you a little bit more confidence executing some putts.
Q. Could you just explain why you made the change on your putter grip after U.S. Open?
NELLY KORDA: So I actually switched to it as well -- I actually switched to it for the first time last year British was my first event last year left hand low. I always wanted to try it. I always putted more with my left shoulder up and I wanted to see how it would be if I would have my shoulder square at setup. The only way to do it is if I gripped it left hand low. My shoulders just rock so much better and I'm just connected more with my chest when I'm putting when I grip it left hand low.
Q. I also note you talked about this a little the other day, but you were out side on Sunday watching Xander, but also Sabbatini shot that 61. Did you ever think that you could be out there four days later basically equalling his number?
NELLY KORDA: No. No, I never really, honestly -- I mean what the men shot is so different to the women, I never think it have that way. It's like a clean slate. Every day's a clean slate. You don't know what's going to happen, you don't know what you're going to shoot and the best you can do is go in with a good attitude and try your best. So obviously when those putts were dropping and I saw I was getting more and more under par it felt nice, but I never really thought about it when he shot 10-under.
Q. We got a sense watching the men last week that even though they had much softer conditions it took them like a day, by and large, to figure out that, wait a minute, we can really score here. Did you get that sense at all? There's much lower scoring today and I just wonder if it takes a day to kind of feel it out.
NELLY KORDA: I feel like personally it's a different golf course to what the men played last week, I think it was a lot softer. If you look at the greens right now they're getting browner, it's been really hot the past couple days. So I think it's definitely firming up for us. But yeah, like the more you play on a golf course I feel like the more comfortable you get and the more you kind of learn it. So I would say, yeah, I agree with that.
Q. There is a possibility the games can be shorter. Are you happy with that if it really happens or are you annoyed by that?
NELLY KORDA: No, I mean I'm going to go -- I'm going to have the mindset that it's going to be a 72-hole golf course and whatever happens, happens. But I'm not going to set my mind on that it's just going to be less than 72 because right now it is.
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