THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Nelly Korda and Olivia Cowan to the interview room here at the Dow Championship. Can you guys just tell us off the bat how this partnership came to be?
NELLY KORDA: You want to take the honor?
OLIVIA COWAN: Yeah, we met a few years ago in Spain at one of the Aramco events and we kind of just got on there. And then we, when I joined the Tour, we were in Asia and --
NELLY KORDA: No, we played together in Portland before that.
OLIVIA COWAN: Oh, yes, sorry. I missed that. We played together in Portland.
NELLY KORDA: It's a friendaversary.
OLIVIA COWAN: And we just had a really good time. It feels like we weren't even concentrating on the golf, we were just chatting the whole time. But, yeah, we got on really well. And then Asia, we both have a love of coffee, so we were trying to find the best coffee spot and croissants, and we kind of just bonded over that.
THE MODERATOR: This is a fun event, it's one of the only team events that's on the LPGA Tour. How do you guys think that your games are going to complement each other, and how are you going to play off each other's energy this week?
NELLY KORDA: Great question. I think we're just going to have a lot of fun out there and we're going to keep it light. I always say, Never say sorry. So that's rule No. 1.
OLIVIA COWAN: Oh, I was going to say that to you as well.
NELLY KORDA: Perfect. We're on the same page. But I think the thing about this event, it's so fun and it's so unlike any other event that we get to do where we can rely on a teammate and play for a teammate, so it's going to be a lot of fun and I think it's another way for us to create life long memories together too. So I'm really excited, I can't speak for Olivia, but I'm super excited about this week.
OLIVIA COWAN: Yeah, it's all right (laughing). Got to deal with her for a week (laughing).
Q. Competing in this event, the LPGA Tour goes to big market, medium markets and smaller markets. This definitely is the smallest market on the LPGA Tour. But you guys know about this event, the crowds come out in droves. So what does it mean to you guys as LPGA players when you'll see on Thursday almost like the entire city of Midland is out supporting you guys this week?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I always enjoy playing in, let's say Grand Rapids, where the entire city comes out to watch us play. I feel like we get a really big community support out here during these events. It is really nice to see. I think it's exciting for them because it is a fun week in the year for them. I think it's really important to hit these smaller markets, as it is to hit bigger markets and medium markets, as you said. But it is really cool to see how the entire city comes out and supports this event.
Q. What's been the talk and the strategy on the golf course as you guys have been preparing for this week?
NELLY KORDA: We played five holes (laughing).
OLIVIA COWAN: Yeah, we played five holes together today. We were more like just talking about our content strategy, to be honest, about announcing our team name. So there was a good a bit of behind-the-scenes content.
NELLY KORDA: I think we were worried about that walk-up song.
OLIVIA COWAN: Yeah, walk-up song. There was actually not much golf chat.
NELLY KORDA: We did ask, on the second hole, I have to say, like odds and evens. So I think Jay is going to kind of look at the golf course and then he'll tell us who will have more tee shots, who will have the longer shots in and then we'll make a decision based off of all the information he's going to feed to us.
Q. On Saturday out here, so all the players have walk up music on the par-3 18th hole. What's that feeling like when you have a, you're about to tee off and you have your own song that you pick right before you tee off?
OLIVIA COWAN: I mean, I think it's going to be a really fun experience, and I think we're really trying to pick the right song that suits us both. I think -- well we have very similar personalities so we want to kind of showcase that in the song. So, yeah, it's a very serious discussion, but it will be amazing experience. I think also we're trying to get the crowd involved as well, so that they can join in and cheer us on.
NELLY KORDA: And I will say that Olivia is the only person that will get me to wear all pink. So I will be wearing all pink one day. (Laughing).
OLIVIA COWAN: I mean, we have to.
Q. To follow-up on that, this is a par-3, so the finishing hole is a par-3. There's not many events on the LPGA Tour that has a par-3 finish. With that walk-up on Saturday, and then you talked about the crowds, the crowds are going to be surrounding that hole on Sunday. So how is it going to be like for you guys to play a par-3 finishing hole here?
NELLY KORDA: I mean, it's always exciting to have a par-3. I think a par-3 or a par-5 as a finish is always really exciting because it's just a little different compared to what we normally play. Normally with the par-5s you can be aggressive. With par-3s, especially this one, it's a shorter par-3, so anything can happen. But it's fun because it kind of like domes in, it's a little bit more intimate because it is a shorter hole, so you kind of have the crowd all around the hole.
Q. We're in a stretch now obviously coming off of U.S. Women's Open and Evian and AIG on the horizon, what do fun events like this where you get to be with your friends and have this community behind you, how does that reset you and get you ready for those bigger events where you're maybe not as loose on the golf course?
NELLY KORDA: I think they're just a lot of fun. It is really nice to switch it up, especially when we're in the midst of like major season, we have so many in a row where, after AIG, you're just kind of like burned out mentally more. So it kind of gives you a little bit more of a boost where you're maybe smiling a little bit more, having more fun on the golf course. So it kind of reenergizes your batteries in a sense, because when you do play a lot of major championship golf it's very demanding on your golf, but it's also very demanding on you mentally, too. So you kind of get into a zone where maybe by the British you get a little bit more frustrated because you're playing such kind of demanding golf. So it is really nice to kind of put in an event where it's kind of a little bit more easygoing. At the end of the day I'm, we both are very competitive and we want to play really well, but it's nice to have a teammate.
OLIVIA COWAN: Yeah, it's nice that you can also lean on someone for a week. We are here to support each other, you don't really have that in this individual sport. It's just nice to have a week where you have a teammate and you feel like you can conquer it together and, yeah I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun out there.
Q. Have you guys picked a team name?
OLIVIA COWAN: Oh, yeah.
NELLY KORDA: It's a good one. Should we say it together? It is Legally Blond.
OLIVIA COWAN: Legally Blond. (Laughing). Hence the all pink.
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