DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON

September 3, 2022

Sarah Schmelzel

Highland Meadows Golf Club

Quick Quotes

SARAH SCHMELZEL:

Q. All right, here with Sarah Schmelzel. I mean, really solid round today. 6-under, 65. Played really well last week, playing this week. What's been different these last couple weeks?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, started to make some putts that the past month that were more scaring the hole than going in. So it's been nice to see more like 15-, 20-footers find the bottom of the hole.

I think I've been really patient, taking my medicine, trying not to be too perfect out there. Middle of the greens, make it easy, and hopefully roll a few in.

Q. Speaking of that, I mean, made an eagle on 9 today. Walk me through that hole.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I hit the tee ball and it was just right at the left edge of the green. You can't see anything. It's completely blind. I picked my tee out of the ground, looked back up, and I could see the ball on the green. I looked at my caddie and I said, oh, that's neat.

We got up there, read the putt right, and it went in. So pretty ho-hum. It was nice to kind of get some momentum going to go into the back nine.

Q. And just walk me through how do you carry that momentum? Obviously made quite a few birdies on the back.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I think was the first putt that I really made all day. Floodgates opened a little bit, maybe freed me up to trust my speed and lines more so than I might have been doing at the beginning.

I was hitting good putts to start the day; just not really going in. And, you know, just tried to do the same thing: fairways, greens, see if I can make some putts.

Q. A round like this, obviously playing well last week, too, how confident are you feeling? Heading into the last stretch of the season, how good does your game feel?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I think I gained a lot of confidence last week obviously being in a new position. I was happy with the way that I handled everything and with the way that I kind of went about things.

I saw some room for improvement. Talked to my mental coach at the beginning of the week, my swing coach, and just kind of tried to tighten some things up that got a little loose under pressure last week, and I think that's just helping this week.

Q. In the same kind of position heading into Sunday here. What lessons did learn last week that you'll carry into tomorrow?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I think just not trying to control too much, you know. I have learned a little bit more about what my tendencies might be under pressure, so it's kind of nice to have that in the back of my head now.

Before I didn't really have a very clear idea of that, which has been nice to kind of know this week. I can work on that on the range before I go out and play and everything.

So I think just kind of taking the fact that I played well in that situation last weekend and having a little bit of confidence going into tomorrow, just knowing I've done it before, putting up a solid round, and just see what happened. Try my best, and whatever happens, happens.