SAMMAMISH, Wash. – Second final blow for Madelene Sagstrom.
A little over a month ago at the Cognizant Founders Cup, despite sweeping the rest of the field by 13 strokes with a total of 22 under par in 72 holes, the Swede was just two strokes away from the second victory of her career on the LPGA Tour after a final. She battled round with eventual champion Rose Zhang.
Although she played impeccable golf that week, with rounds of 65-66-66-69, the loss was painful for Sagstrom, who has not won on the LPGA Tour since the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA in Boca Rio. But the veteran took many positives from that disappointing result and is now working to capitalize on the lessons she learned in New Jersey at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“Being in this position, this is what we’re trying to do,” an emotional Sagstrom said Sunday at the Cognizant Founders Cup. “We’re trying to feel these nerves. He was nervous today. You won’t learn if you’re not here. I played some amazing golf this week. (Rose and I are) the only two that have been really low. I have to look at the positive. It sucks now. It hurts a little. This course hurts me because I really like this place. My time will come.”
And that moment could be knocking on Sagstrom’s door at Sahalee Country Club. She opened the week with a 2-under 70 at Sammamish, Washington, a solid start that saw her make two bogeys and five birdies at this challenging venue and an effort she was pleased with considering how tight Sahalee is off the tee.
“I think I was a little nervous coming into this week because I knew it was close,” Sagstrom said after her first round in Washington. “If you look at my stats, I may not be the best player on tight golf courses, but I think coming here and seeing how beautiful it is, it’s pretty easy. You can’t rescue the left or the right or anything. You have to hit good golf shots. I think that makes it a little easier for me to try to commit.
“It’s challenging. But at the same time, it’s very rewarding when you make good shots.”
Friday was a little tougher for the 31-year-old, who recorded four bogeys and four birdies in the second round, three of which came in a four-hole stretch from the 15th to the 18th. While the bogeys were frustrating, Sagstrom knew they were bound to happen and hopes to tweak a few small things before Saturday’s third round to avoid those mistakes over the next 36 holes.
“I’ve been playing well. I hit the ball well off the tee on the front nine, my front nine, which was the back nine,” Sagstrom said. “I’ve been putting in very solid. I missed some fairways on my back nine, which was the front nine, and then you’re going to have problems, so I made some bogeys, which obviously wasn’t ideal. But it’s this type of golf course, so I’m going to go out there and hit some balls a little bit straighter off the tee.”
It’s easy for a player to become discouraged when things don’t go her way, especially when the conditions are of the caliber of a major championship. Sagstrom is an athlete who expects a lot from her game, something that hasn’t always served her well in the past. But even though she still maintains high standards on the golf course, she seems to be getting quicker at accepting mistakes and moving forward, knowing that those who love her will still be there for her, whether she shoots 65 or 75.
“I don’t think you’ll ever learn. Now I’m just as hard on myself. It might hide it a little better, but you let it go by quicker,” Sagstrom said. “This is still a very important part of my life, and it is what I do, and it is very easy to live golf. You are happy when you play well and you are not happy when you play badly. It’s every day, trying to remind yourself that at the end of the day, I’ll still be okay. “I have wonderful people around me who will keep me in the moment and appreciate me for who I am.”
There is a lot at stake for Sagstrom over the next 36 holes. A victory would be a game-changer for the 31-year-old, even more so if it were a major.
But at No. 38 in the Rolex Women’s Golf World Rankings, there’s also a slim chance that Sagstrom could qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She currently sits 11 spots behind fellow Swede Linn Grant in the world rankings, a gap that could be closed quickly with a win at Sahalee on Sunday afternoon.
It’s a lot of pressure and nerves that Sagstrom hopes to block as he works to move up the rankings over the next two rounds. It can be difficult for an athlete to keep emotions in check with a monumental achievement on the line, but that’s exactly what the Swede will be working on as she seeks her second LPGA Tour title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“I think everyone doubts their own game most of the time. I think I do too,” Sagstrom admitted. “We’ve been trying to go out and make the best shots I can. It’s easy to reach the future or stay in the past, which you just did. So I think for me it’s about trying to stay present, trying to accept it. It is what it is.
“This week is about not getting frustrated because you’re going to make bad shots. You will be in trouble. It’s more about staying present and just accepting that you’re going to make bogeys, but you can also make birdies.”
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