MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC

June 19, 2021

Sarah Schmelzel

Blythefield Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. What does Sarah Schmelzel have working that's got her shooting so low this week?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I think I'm just being a little more patient than I have been in recent weeks, not trying to force it so much. Really just trying to go fairways, middle of the greens, when I have an opportunity to hit it close, take advantage of it, and then roll a few putts in.

I think I've been a little more relaxed this week than I have been recently. It's nice. Just enjoy every day. Take whatever comes at me.

Q. You matched your low 54-hole total with this performance so far. You matched again earlier this year at LOTTE. What is it --

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I didn't know that.

Q. Yeah. I just looked it up. Feeling pretty good in your game it seems like this year and the trend continues here.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I think just starting to feel more comfortable. Obviously rookie year you have to take so much time getting acclimated, and then last year was still a little bit of the same, like getting your footing.

I feel like I'm finally at a point where I'm getting to know the golf courses a little better and the routine I want to get into every week, so getting few more constants in there has definitely helped.

I think it's just made me be a little more calm I think when I ou go to the first tee at the beginning the week and able to just kind of perform.

Q. Uh-huh. You had a handful of birdies today, seven, including book ending the round with birdies. How good does it feel to walk off 18, even though there was a bogey or two on the scorecard, with that kind of taste in your mouth?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, definitely just fighting all the way to the end. 18 is a great finishing hole. You can make three or four on it, so being able to birdie it every day has been really nice. It just gives you a little bit of momentum going into tomorrow.

Just try and keep it rolling the next 18 holes. Make as many birdies as possible, because think that's what everyone is going to be doing.

Q. Yeah, exactly. How big is it to shoot a round like today to put yourself in contention to where you can have another strong day and could be making a run at a first title?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, definitely. I think I haven't done that much the first two years, and being able to do that a couple times this year is just a great learning experience. Getting more comfortable in that position, and on Sunday being towards later into the wave and everything.

I'm just really excited for tomorrow.

Q. With a major next week do you focus on certain aspects of your game to make sure they're good, or if you have a chance do you throw a few things out the window and go for it?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I think for next week it's kind of almost the same mentality. I'm a big momentum type player, so it's just staying in the same rhythm for tomorrow as the last three days and then into next week, and not changing anything, not making it a bigger deal than it is.

It's nice to do a few things -- see progress this week from things I've been working on. I'm sure we'll have a little bit longer of a golf course next week than this week, so maybe touch on that before we tee it up next Thursday.

But, no, just trying to keep it pretty much the same.

Q. I like that. Last one: We've seen 10-unders out here. We've seen 8-unders this week. Are those types of numbers going to be -- after the rain I imagine the course changes a little bit with some the moisture in the air. Are those numbers going to be out there tomorrow again?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I think so for sure. We got a decent amount of holes where we can have wedges in and the reachable par-5s. If you saw from the course at all, people are going to be firing right at the pins and making a ton of putts.

So I definitely think we'll see some really low ones tomorrow.