T-MOBILE MATCH PLAY PRESENTED BY MGM REWARDS

April 6, 2025

Madelene Sagstrom

Shadow Creek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Okay, here with Madelene Sagstrom after her victory at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards. Been a while since you've been back in this position. How sweet does this win feel considering some of the close calls over the years?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: It feels amazing. I kind of forget what it feels like, and today it's like you really can't relax or feel like you're out of it at any point. Even when I'm standing there when Lauren is putting her last putt and just like I need to prepare for her to make this. I'm expecting her to make this and let's go for a playoff.

That's the mindset you need to have in match play. It's probably going to feel very rewarding eventually. Right now I'm just very tired. But it's been such hard work for such a long time. It just proves it's is hard to win out here. Everyone is so good. It's just incredible.

Q. We talked about it on the way in: up since the 4:15; played over 100 holes. How were you able to step by step to fight back and win this one?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I would like to say that it's on my cardio workouts, but it's really not because I don't do cardio. I wish I was like Charley and did a lot of running, but I don't.

I think it's just I felt really comfortable with my game this week. I've really trusted the work that me, my coach, Hans, and my whole team with AimPoint, what we've been doing over the years.

Today, event last week, even though I missed the cut by one, I felt like I'm doing so many good things, so if I just kind of keep getting out of my own way and keep worrying about the results when I'm standing over the ball.

I think sometimes it's so easy to be like don't hit it left or don't hit it right, and I just stood over the ball most times and be like, okay, that's my target and have whatever feelings I have and just swing at it. I know it's in there and it's good.

I feel like match play probably freed me up a little bit in that sense, the fact that even if I hit a bad shot I knew I can only lose a hole. It wasn't the end of the world. I was very accepting and very positive this week.

I mean, very rewarding week for my game and where the level is at the moment.

Q. Congratulations.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Thank you.

Q. The final was like three matches in itself. You built the big lead, lost it, and the battle down the stretch. Talk about the emotions of the swings all day.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Well, I knew coming -- I mean, whoever is in the final has obviously played really good golf all week, so I was prepared, like this is going to go to the last few holes. That was my mindset all day. No matter what happens, like this is -- don't -- even though I was up a lot early I was like she's been playing well, I've been playing well, so she can always bring this back.

I think that was my mindset. Take this -- like it's going to take a while to -- whoever is going to win this is going to -- we're both going to bring it to the end.

It was hard. I got really tired and it kind of mentally hit me. I decided I needed an emergency banana in the bunker on 10, and then I started chugging water because I was like, I need something to spike me back here.

And I got it going. I mean, I've never been one to give up. I'm very hard on myself, very critical about my game. When it comes down to it, I always think that even if I'm behind I can do it.

So, yeah, I grinded the whole way out.

Q. Then your tee shots on 7, 9, 10, you were missing left and right. Was that a factor of fatigue at that point or just something that is normal in your game, to miss both ways?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think that there is -- we all have tendencies, right? When the body gets tired I felt there that I got closer to my tendencies, which then kind of hurt me. So I stood over every shot from probably 12 tee and I was like, this is the most important shot you hit in your life. Go for it. If you hit this perfect, what would this feel like? Go for it. You really have to reset.

I also knew that one shot at a time, do it the best you can. You're tired, your body knows you're tired. Try not to fall into these habits too much.

I come from a lot of misses. If you see me play poor Angel this morning, I made the craziest par on 6 you've ever seen. I'm used to being a little bit everywhere.

This week I hit it fairly straight.

Q. The chip on 17, did that just come out perfect the way you wanted it to?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Absolutely perfect. I looked at Shane, my caddie, and I was like, well, I don't want to do this. And he was like, I don't think you have a choice. I was like, yeah, fair.

Okay, this is the time to do it. Well, it was kind of one of those I don't really have a choice so just go for it. It came out perfect. I practiced this like little mini stabby shot. It was sitting down a lot in the grass and came out perfect and I couldn't have -- don't put me there again. I don't want to do that again.

Q. I was talking to your mom and she said last time she saw you win you were an amateur.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Oh, yeah.

Q. Really big day for her, too. What did it mean to have your mom out here watching this?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: It means a lot. My dad I think texted my mom earlier or something, wrote something, it's going to be a long night. So because he's in Sweden and been watching from Sweden.

Having the support means a lot. A win is a win, and having a win to share with people is the best feeling in the world. My husband called and cried and I cried more. It's just the best feeling to share it with the people you love.

Q. When you're out there battling on a course like this, even when you hit a good shot it doesn't necessarily end up in a good place. How difficult is that from a mental standpoint?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: It is. It's hard. Shane and I all day we were like, okay, that shot came out exactly the way we intended it to, it landed where we intended it to, and sometimes you can't control the outcome. Perfect example for me I hit I thought a perfect golf shot on 13 in the last match against Lauren. Just kicked straight instead of we thought it was going to hit the hill and kick right and didn't.

So at the end of the day we always go back to what can I control? If I think the golf shot I intended to, chip shot, I can't do anything else. It was a learning experience, what did we miss, stuff like that. It can be frustrating for sure.

Q. Five years since your last victory. Were there times you thought, is this ever going to happen?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I thought last week am I ever going to play good golf again. As professional golfers, it's very rewarding job when it goes well but extremely difficult when it's tough.

And I've questioned myself a lot in my career. Am I good enough? Am I good enough to play against these girls? Am I going to be one of the best players in the world? I've always had the ambition to be, but then I never know really. Like you never know. It's sometimes hard to back yourself.

I feel like Hovland this week. He came back after three missed cuts, whatever. I'm like, I kind of did the same. Had a tough start to the year and just kind of -- didn't come out of nowhere for me, but if I look at my results it kind of came out of nowhere.

It's a very tough sport and it keeps you very humble, but it's also extremely -- it's easy to be really hard on yourself.

Q. Congratulations, Madelene. I saw at the end your caddie, Shane, handed you the phone. You seemed to get emotional there. Who were you speaking to?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: That was my husband, my husband Jack. He was with me when I won my first win in 2020; now I have two wins.

He ran on the green ugly crying. I think now he's been ugly crying on the couch at home. He's the most supportive person. Every time I go home -- he caddies. He's been out here quite a bit. On the PGA TOUR as well. He knows the work that both him and I put in, and it's just -- it means -- I think he knows how much it means to me so that he just loves -- we both love golf.

He played professionally and just knows the effort and the hard work that goes into it, so it's just so super nice to have somebody like that in your ball court and just be able to share these moments with you.

Q. Obviously Las Vegas has been on a big rise on the sports scene. Outside of the golfing aspect, how has this week been here in the city of Las Vegas?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: It's been incredible. This city is nuts. It's unbelievable. My mom has been here before, but we really enjoyed it. Mostly been people watching. I'm not a big gambler myself, so mostly watching other people scream at the tables.

It's such a lovely city. The food and the atmosphere is great. Fortunately I have been trying to get as much sleep as I can so been watching the air show. It's a wonderful place.

Q. Played a lot of golf now at Shadow Creek. What's the first thing that comes to your mind about Shadow Creek? Hopefully it's a different answer. What's the most interesting thing about Shadow Creek to you?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's a wonderful golf course, but it will test your whole game. This is probably -- we were talking about it today. Unless we play match play here I can see this being a U.S. Open course. It's such a good golf course that challenges you from putting, strategy, from everything is challenging.

What surprises me the most is this oasis of a golf course that just sits here. It's like you come in here and you're in a little different world. It's crazy. It's a beautiful place. I've always loved it here. Played pretty good until the past.

It's a really nice place.

Q. What do you think was the key factor in your success this round? What was the best part of your game?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I would definitely say I've putted really well. I have made a lot of clutch putts when I needed to. I made a lot of putts for birdies.

I do think -- I mean, normally good scores and good game will take care of the matches in a way. I gave -- probably Lauren's match was the first game I gave away a little bit too much with my own game. Been very steady before that.

I been slightly that that annoying opponent that's been making putts when you expect them not to make putts.

Probably that was my best part this week.

Q. I was interviewing your mom and she mentioned something very interesting. How much your win adds on to the golf culture in Sweden and encouraging that, and especially the new generation following in your footsteps. What are your thoughts on that?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I mean, we have so -- we've had and have so many good golfers coming out of Sweden. I said when Linn and Maja came out on Tour are a few years ago, I better step it up because they're going to come and take it over.

We've had a very good work ethic, culture growing up, and Annika really paved the way. It was like if she can do it we can do it. We have a lot of good coaches back home, good schooling system and stuff, so I think we have a very good baseline.

And then now you have like your idols that you want to be when you grow up. I hope I can be for some girl back home. Knowing you can make it from a small country.

A lot of us don't have great facilities most year-round, but it's not impossible.

Q. How important was this week either winning or not for you to have -- with the stretch we have coming up, especially with the The Chevron Championship on the horizon?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think mentally this was extremely important. Because I have been questioning. Like the question I got before. I've put in a lot of work. I keep telling people I'm probably on the back nine of my career. I put in a lot of work and is it paying off? If it's not paying off, it's kind of -- it's been hard.

And now I'm like, well, I can see every part of my game it is working. I'm on the right path of doing really good things. That's probably the biggest thing I take with me. To win a golf tournament you're going to have a lot of good luck. This week I've had good bounces bad bounces and probably few more good bounces than most people.

You have to be lucky to win and steady to win. That's probably what I take with me.

THE MODERATOR: No better place to be lucky than Vegas.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Exactly.