COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 14, 2022

Madelene Sagstrom

Upper Montclair Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. 3-under through four holes, did you allow yourself to start thinking, this could be another low one?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: No, not really. I was just striking it really well, giving myself some good chances, and I was kind of just trying to make as many birdies as possible before the rain came.

No, I was really in the present today, so I was really pleased with that.

Q. We talked yesterday about your consistent play over the last year. It was a year ago next week where you missed your last cut; been playing some really good golf between then and now. You really want to get the monkey off your back in terms of the second win. First win was huge and the second win is big. How do you approach tomorrow going in with a chance?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think just the fact of being up there. I mean, I shot a good score today, and if I just keep playing my game, keep hitting good putts, giving myself good chances, you never know.

But I'm just have to stay in the present. That's really what I have to do.

Q. We saw a couple times out there with you and Lexi as well with getting the ball to the hole on the greens became more difficult later in the day. Did the greens firm up that much?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Yeah, the weather is a big factor. It got quite wet on the greens so the surface got really slow. It was hard. You had one speed when you came out and then you had to adjust mid-round, so we were struggling a bit with that.

Hit lots of good putts both of us, but couldn't get it to the hole.

Q. All right, here with Madelene Sagstrom with a 5-under round today, the lowest of this day. What was it like playing in these type of conditions on moving day?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Well, it was really nice at first, and then -- well, I was expecting it be a lot worse, to be fair.

So we handled the drizzle, heavy drizzle quite well. I think the toughest thing was probably the greens. The speed has really slowed down a lot. It was hard to make yourself like hit it to the hole, especially -- I mean, both uphill and also downhill putts, because they been quite slick all week.

That was probably the toughest thing.

Q. Battling those tough conditions, especially on the greens, how much does a bogey-free round satisfy you today?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Oh, this is my second one on the week, second bogey-free round. Yeah, it's really good. I played really solid today. I struck the ball really nicely both off the tee and in the fairways.

I can't really complain at all with anything.

Q. Got started hot early, three birdies in your first four holes. What was clicking just so well at the beginning for you?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Well, I think I had good numbers into the pins. That's always -- like when you have the perfect number you can hit full shots. Don't have to manipulate it too much. That's a nice confidence boost.

And then I hit some really putts. Hit a good put on 1, hit a really good eagle putt on 2, and then I chipped in on 4. So I'm not sure if that counts, but it counted on the scorecard.

Just nice momentum knowing that you're like kind of a little bit of ahead and can kind of just play free golf.

Q. And then were you looking at how you were faring against the rest of the field and the leader, that is Minjee? Did you look at any scoreboards as you were coming through today?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I caught a glimpse of a scoreboard. I wasn't paying too much attention. I didn't realize my score was that good today.

You can kind of see them because they're quite obvious. It's like they're like, here is the scoreboard in your face.

So you try not to. You try to pay attention to your own game, but it's a little bit too much out there.

Q. There are certain rounds that just look easy. Today's look easy. Even easier than... (recording interrupted.)

MADELENE SAGSTROM: It's just one of those rounds that I been looking for in a while. I felt easy. I left like I wasn't trying, but also wasn't giving myself too much grief when I was missing a putted or lipping it.

I had a lot of good chances, and my putter was hot in the beginning but then kind of cooled down, but I wasn't getting upset.

So I think those rounds are really nice to have under your belt, and I think that's a great confidence boost to have with me tomorrow, because pressure is going to be higher tomorrow.

Q. And you made a lot of putts that were in that sort of questionable range, that three- to five-footer, maybe as long as six feet, but you just poured them right in the middle.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I am a quite good short putter. That's probably my biggest strength in the whole game. I'm really solid six feet and under. They kind of look like tap-ins to me. (Laughter.)

Q. Madelene, we've talked a lot about your reading habits and how intellectual you are. Byron Nelson once told Tom Watson, there are two kinds of golfers, those who need to know a little and those who need to know it all. Which one do you think you are?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Know it all. I think I like to know it all and then I like to select what to focus on.

I like to know everything about my own game, well particularly just from my coach, but having it -- I just like to select what I believe in. The more knowledge I have I can kind of nitpick it and figure out what works for me, what doesn't working with for me.

On the course probably a little bit just more straightforward, not as much, but in practice at home I'm very detailed.

Q. Then how do you shut it off between shots, or do you?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I try to. I try to. My caddie gives me a chuckle like all day long, so he's really good at keeping in me in the present. We have a lot of great conversations. That's the great thing about having a caddie that walks with you all the time. He can take you back to focusing on something else and going back into a shot.

Q. Do you feel like this is some of best golf you've ever played in your career?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I would say, yeah, for sure. I think it's some of my most consistent golf I've ever played. All the parts of my game have really tightened up. I've gotten a lot stronger at everything.

So I'm really -- I would definitely say my best golf.

Q. Playing with Lexi today, you two both had really great rounds and put up a lot of birdies. When you play with someone that matched you like that, does that force you to stay focused or raise the pressure too high?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: No, I love playing with good players. Just walking down 1, like we hear her tee shot, her second shot, and I looked at Shane and I'm like, you just love playing with people that can strike the ball really nicely.

I think that if you play with good players that are playing really well, it just takes your game to the next level. So I think -- because you want to keep up. You want to play well, too.

So I think you're mostly like going to see good playing in good groups like that.

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