Madelene Sagstrom missed the cut by five strokes at the U.S. Women’s Open but you could say she played under extenuating yet impressive circumstances.
Sagstrom went 77-76 in her two rounds at Riviera Country Club while playing at 26 weeks pregnant. The 33-year-old is expected to give birth to a baby boy in September.
The U.S. Women’s Open in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles was the sixth tournament Sagstrom competed in during her pregnancy. She deals with the occasional contraction and the feeling of the baby kicking while she’s on the course.
“I keep saying I will keep going until my body’s telling me something different, and I think that it’s telling me to,” Sagstrom said Friday, according to The Athletic. “I lose my stamina out there. And then when I get tired, I’m not hitting the right shots. If I’m going to play, I want to be able to compete. I’m going to play one more (tournament).”
The 33-year-old Sagstrom unexpectedly received a lot of attention for her performance. On-site fans and television viewers noticed the physical differences of the Swede and she got ovations on the course that typically don’t happen to a player ranked No. 73 in the world.
“I didn’t realize it was going to turn into such a spectacle, the whole thing,” Sagstrom said. “For me, golf is all I’ve ever done, and it’s my job. So it was natural. If I feel good, just keep trying to play.
“But it’s so lovely. It’s nice that people are understanding that it’s not easy, and everyone’s been super supportive.”
Sagstrom has won two LPGA titles and earned more than $5 million during her career. She tied for second in the 2021 Women’s British Open and tied for fourth the following year.
Sagstrom was never a factor at Riviera as she had four bogeys and a double bogey in the first round. She had two birdies during Friday’s second round to go with five bogeys and one double.
Still, playing 36 holes of golf in a major tournament while 26 weeks pregnant certainly ranks as a noteworthy feat.
“It’s good to show that there’s more to our lives than just to play golf,” Sagstrom said. “We live day in and day out with our results, and sometimes we make decisions about other things that are important to us. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t do this and you can’t come back if you want to.”
