Q. Here with Madelene Sagstrom after the third round of the Kroger Queen City Championship. A solid day out there. Can you walk us through your round?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: I thought it was really tough. It got breezy. It got firm. A lot of calculations. My brain is kind of tired at the moment.
It was also very, very slow, so no real momentum.
I'm very happy. I think I struck it well when I needed to, and I took my medicine when I needed to. I putted quite okay. My speed was, I guess, maybe not so great, but I made all the second putts.
Overall I thought it was a pretty tough day.
Q. Making the turn, having that Eagle on No. 10, can you walk us through your thought process seeing the tee and the hole?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: Yeah, we could reach 7, too, today, a little downwind, so I kind of made a little bit of a boo-boo there, hit a great tee shot and then hit it over the green, so I was like, okay, I want a rematch, I want to do this again.
I just hit a great tee shot. That funnels really nicely if you hit the right spot and get a good kick, so I hit a good tee shot and then the putt wasn't that crazy long, but it fell right in. That always helps momentum, especially when you're waiting a lot. It was just nice to get those two.
Q. It's been kind of a ho-hum year; what are you seeing this week that's working, something that's finally clicked with your game?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: Well, this suits me. It suits my eye. Preferably I would like to hit some drivers, but it's so firm so you can't. Hitting it high and having a lot of spin really helps when it's really firm. It suits my eye. It suits my game.
For me, it's been really about giving myself opportunities and getting the putter rolling. I haven't putted, like I've said before, not as great this year, so I've been starting to give myself opportunities, so before maybe the ones that I had, I put too much pressure on, I have to make those. Now it's like, okay, I'll get another chance, I'll get another chance.
I think it's all about building momentum, believing in myself and my game and thinking that I'm going in a good direction.
Q. You rolled in a massive putt, I can't remember what hole that was on --
MADELENE SAGSTROM: 16.
Q. You looked a little surprised that it hit --
MADELENE SAGSTROM: I mean, it was 18 times three, that's how many feet it was. It was 18 yards long. I hit a really good putt on the hole before and it kind of lipped out, so we said, okay, that was for the last one.
There I wasn't in trouble off the tee, but I was in the rough, so it's really tough to judge how close you can hit it to the pin. I kind of just hit it to the center of the green, and obviously it's a bonus when you do that. But it made up for a few other ones.
Q. You know you're not thinking about Solheim on the golf course, but when you're off the golf course I'm sure it's front of mind. Having that qualifying period behind you, getting a captain's pick, has that freed you up at all?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: I wouldn't say it did. I think that I've been trying to find this momentum anyways. Maybe my first Solheim I was a bit more, but both '17 and '19 it was a bit more -- I thought about it more.
I didn't play great in '17 when I was at Solheim, and it was not the most fun experience, so I knew that -- if I don't play well, I don't want to go anyway. That's kind of been the whole mindset, trying to find my game, trying to find something that works.
I also probably knew that I was going to have a decent chance since I was first ranked outside, so haven't really tried to put too much pressure on myself.
I mean, I think it's something that you look forward to. Like now it's something other than like the end of the year, this is something that okay, I want to be ready for this so maybe I have pulled in an extra gear. I'm not really sure. But I like what I'm doing, so it can be Solheim every other next week.
Q. Heading into tomorrow, looking for your first win since '21. Nothing to lose at this point. What's the mindset going into tomorrow?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. It's about being in position here. I think it's going to stay firm. They're going to keep pushing the greens hard, so it's firm and fast, so I'm just going to try to stay in position, hit some good shots, take my medicine when I need to, and hopefully the putter goes on fire.
Q. A little slow on the front nine, then the Eagle and two birdies on the back. How does that make you feel headed into tomorrow, that momentum on the back nine?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: Well, I started with a bogey on 1, got out of position off the tee, so I think it's just about staying patient pays off. It's easy to get a little bit ahead of yourself out there and maybe get a little frustrated, but I think if I keep my head as cool as I can, I know I can make birdies. I think it's about not trying to push too hard when I don't need to. It's just letting it come to me instead of pushing.
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