ISPS HANDA WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

July 25, 2025

Sarah Schmelzel

Dundonald Links

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here with Sarah Schmelzel after her second round here at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. Great round today. Take us through it.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, obviously the conditions were a little bit more challenging today. Started off much colder and windier. Was fortunate to get a 2 and 3, so able to settle in really easily obviously after that. Just done a really good job the last two days of not really getting myself into trouble, hitting a lot of the middles of the greens and keeping the momentum going.

Made a long one on 17 today which was very nice, and then capped it off on 18 with another birdie. So overall, just playing really simple golf I think.

Q. What's your experience with links golf and do you enjoy it?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I do really enjoy it. I have mean, I've played Scottish I think every year besides COVID year; same goes for British.

So I just think it's really fun. You hit so many different types of shots. I think whatever like technical thoughts you have, which tends to kind of bog me down, you kind of have to throw them away when it comes to playing links golf.

If you're not thinking specifically about the shot it can get really out of hand really fast. So I think it's a ton of fun.

Q. You said you played it every year since COVID. What do you make of Dundonald Links? How does this course suit your game?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I had a good run here last year as well, and I think it's a great prep obviously for going to the British Open afterwards.

I just think it's an awesome facility. I stay on site at the lodges, so it's such an easy week logistically. I think it's such a fun course. You can play really well and you can make birdies, but it'll obviously bite you if you try and get too aggressive. So I think it's just overall a really good golf course.

Q. How do you prepare for a week like this? Obviously in the States we can't really replicate the conditions of the links.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Right.

Q. How do you prepare for a week like this?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I think it's a lot of a mental battle where you just kind of throw out maybe a little bit of the mentality of pin seeking 24/7 and you just are really trying to focus in on each and every shot.

I don't -- you know, we don't have in any golf like this at home in the States, so I don't know that you can prepare for it other than making sure you know how to flight a golf ball before you come over here.

But, yeah, just once you get over here you really have to kind of settle in quickly Monday to Wednesday to get used to the conditions again. Then you just go out and play golf.

Q. Everyone had a little Euro summer vacation last week. Did you do anything fun after Evian?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah. My boyfriend and I went to Vienna for three days, which was fun. I've never done anything touristy, same with him, in Europe before. It was really cool to have three days, no golf clubs, just walking around.

And then went to Carnoustie. Paul Drummond, Cassie Porter's caddie, is a member out there, so my caddie, my boyfriend, Cassie, Paul, and my physio all went and played two little fun rounds of golf at Carnoustie.

So that was good prep for this week, but even more mentally just having some fun playing golf with some friends was really good for me.

Q. Just last one I just thought of. How do you balance wanting to compete and do well this week versus prepping for more links golf next week at the British Open?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I think every week is important out here. Obviously you want to use this as prep for sure, but I'm -- I feel like I'm pretty good at this point in my career at treating every week pretty similarly in terms of importance.

So I think the added bonus is that it gets you ready for next week, but I'm trying to do everything I can to go out and play the best that I can.