Nelly Korda discusses her current hot streak and how she hopes to maintain it with a Major looming in two weeks, as she tees it up at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards

This week the LPGA Tour is in Las Vegas for the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards at Shadow Creek. In a switch from the usual format, this year instead of group-based match play, the event now features a combination of stroke and match play to determine who will take home a share of a $2 million purse and 500 Race to the CME Globe points.

T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards format:

  • Wednesday (April 3) and Thursday (April 4) : Stroke play with a cut after 36 holes to the top 65 and ties
  • Friday (April 5): Stroke play with a cut after 54 holes to the top 8
  • Saturday Morning (April 6): Single-elimination match-play bracket, Quarter-finals
  • Saturday Afternoon (April 6): Single-elimination match-play bracket, Semi-finals
  • Sunday (April 7): Single-elimination match-play bracket, Championship Match

This will be the first time that current World Number one Nelly Korda will play in this event and the American comes into a third week on the road and a potential fourth win in a row in her sights.

Ahead of the first round, the 25-year-old spoke to assembled media to discuss her current hot streak and how she hopes to maintain it with a Major looming in two weeks.

When you're on a streak like this, are you aware of how well you're playing or are you just in the moment, just facing the next hole, one hole at a time?

I'm just trying to stay very much so in the moment. I feel like with sports and golf in general, you have so much time to think, so I think that staying in the moment is something that I try really hard to focus on.

But obviously with that being said, I'm super proud of the events that I've played and the hard work that I've put in and the amount of work my team and I have put in to get those victories.

At the end of the day, it's tough when you win first two out of three events in a row where you kind of can't think about it too much. You have to process what you've done but then you have to get ready for the next week. I had the day on Sunday afternoon, my five-hour drive to process the win and then had to get back to it.

Do you remember a time where you felt like you were playing as well as you are now or is this the best of Nelly Korda?

I would say that every victory I've had or every single time I've played well I've felt more in the zone. But I would say that the past two weeks everything has just kind of clicked a little bit more. Even my mistakes I've made the right mistakes in a sense. Just playing really smart, not taking too much risk on.

I feel like even in '21 I played really, really well. Even last year I had little glimpses of me playing really well, but I wasn't consistent enough to get the win. Overall, I think the past two weeks have just clicked.

Do you have any concern that you're peaking before the Majors or before the Olympics?

No, I always try to stay very, very present. I don't try to change my attitude for the Majors. Just another regular LPGA tournament. The fields are usually just as strong in these events as in Majors. You see pretty much the same girls every week. You play on amazing golf courses. So Majors already have enough added pressure to them, where I just don't try to change my mindset. I'm going to take every win and every good round.

It's a new format this year. Do you have a strategy this week, or just figuring out match play when you get there and worry about stroke play for now?

Worry about stroke play, we have three days of it. I know there is a cut after two days and just eight girls get in the Match Play, so definitely going to have to play some solid golf. Taking it more stroke play and hopefully get into the match play part of it.

It's about 100 days out from the Olympics. You're in a great position to make the U.S. team. What would it mean to get to represent the U.S. in Paris this year?

Getting to represent red, white, and blue has always been a huge honor. Every time I've done it I've been super proud of doing it. You don't just play for yourself, you play for your country. Getting to do that on many stages such as the Solheim Cup, International Crown, Olympics has been so much fun. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to do that again.

View the full leaderboard from the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards here - remember play starts on Wednesday April 3.