FIR HILLS SERI PAK CHAMPIONSHIP

March 21, 2024

Madelene Sagstrom

Palos Verdes Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here with Madelene Sagstrom after a nice impressive way to start at Palos Verdes. How are you feeling coming off the course?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I feel really good. I have had a really good, interesting week behind me. My coach, Hans, was in town for the whole week. Probably one of the best weeks we've had together in a long time. I felt like a lot of things fell into place.

I played good in Asia, so it's just kind of really nice that I'm able to do that again, including to add those few things we worked on.

So I'm just really happy. I putted lights out most of the day, so hole just got bigger and bigger. Kind of got shocked on the last one. I was like, I didn't make that one? What happened?

Q. Going back to the Asia Swing just a little bit because you've had quite a few weeks off since the HSBC Women's Championship. To have a strong performance there and have a little bit of a break, what's it been like to get back and get that momentum back that you had in Asia?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: No, I think it was -- I mean, I feel like every year when you start back on tour you're kind of, how is this going to go, where am I going to be at? Even in Bradenton I felt like my game was pretty solid.

Then I started worrying a bit, how is Asia going to be. Then I played really well. Didn't really have great weekends, but I still was really happy with my performance.

Then you take two weeks off. Coach comes in town and you're like, okay, how is this going to go? I really feel like we're finding a good recipe of how I'm practicing both for short-term and long-term success.

I mean, you want to perform as good as you can every week, but then at the same time, I want to keep building on those parts that might not be as strong at the moment.

So it's always interesting. I find it's maybe momentum-wise easier to keep going after you played a few weeks in a row. But, I mean, body and head needed a couple weeks of rest, so it's good.

Q. Starting on your front nine, which was the back nine, no bogeys. Just take me through what was working so well and when did you feel like those putts started to drop?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I feel like I had a good warmup. I felt good and loose. Normally I feel like it can be a little cold and I start trying a little bit too hard.

I've had the mindset this week of try less. I mean, we had a good group going. Danielle made a hole-in-one on the second hole, so we all got a little scream in there, got the adrenaline going. That was fun to see.

But I kind of kept it steady. I wasn't really making any mistakes. Wasn't hitting it crazy close. So I started making some putts in the end and I kind of just kept that going.

Q. This is an interesting course as the hilliest probably course that we have here on tour. What's it been like gearing up for an event like this?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I said that to -- even to my housing and to everyone, you haven't played? I try to play this course as few times as possible. I want to be fresh come Saturday, Sunday.

I've been here both years we played before, so I know where to be and not to be. I mean, in the end of the day if you hit fairways and greens most of the things will take care of themselves.

I've been focusing a lot on finding the speed on the greens, keep doing my little things to find my swing and do all these things.

Other than that, just kind of get my rest, make sure I'm ready to go. I mean, my wakeup alarm this morning wasn't fantastic, but, I mean, I felt really fresh actually today. I only played nine Tuesday and nine yesterday in the pro-am. I was a bit worried, like am I going to get tired on the back nine.

I think I may be quite fortunate now that we get a rest until tomorrow afternoon. Definitely a hilly course. Probably worse for the caddies than us.

Q. Shoutout to Shane.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: His WHOOP detected hiking or rocking the other day on nine holes as suggested activity. We both died, but it's pretty accurate.

Q. This event just in general, we have The ANNIKA, which is hosted by Annika Sorenstam. To now have another event with a Hall of Famer attached to it, what does that mean for the tour in general in your opinion?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think -- I mean, the longer I get into my career the more you start realizing how important legacy is, how important is what everyone else has done before us for us to have what we have today.

They have really paved the way for us to be successful. I mean, to be able to do this as my full-time job is just incredible.

So honoring them and also showing the new girls that are coming out, like these are Hall of Famers. These girls are the reason you're here. I think it's really cool.

It's really good I'm assuming for the Asian community to have Seri Pak with this one. I never played with her when she was on tour.

But it's really cool. It kind of like brings the circle back together. I think it's good. I think it's good to realize where we came from, how everything started. I mean, we go back and play Founders in a few weeks, and I think it's just really important for our history and to show all the girls, like this is why we're here.

Q. You complimented your putting today. What are you taking from the first day as you head into the second round tomorrow?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Really felt like I was very present today. I worked really hard on trying not to fix the past or trying not to worry about the future.

I was really happy with that.

I made a few mistakes out there, which everyone is going to do, but I didn't let it get to me. I really tried to stay in the present and tried to do everything that I could for the next shot, and I thought I was really successful with that. So that's probably that and including my putting, I'll take that with me.