LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

March 26, 2023

Maddie Szeryk

Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Maddie Szeryk. What a week. That's a huge week for you. Tell me a little bit about today playing in one of the last few groups out there. And bounced back on the back nine.

MADDIE SZERYK: Yeah, today was very up and down. Bit of a struggle at times, but really came back on the back nine. I knew there was a lot of birdie chances and I knew I was hitting it better today. I just kind of had a few bad breaks and it happens.

Just really got the putter hot. I think just hitting a lot of the greens and giving myself chances I was able to get on a good roll with it.

Q. Five in a seven-hole stretch doesn't happen very often with three in a row. Walk me through those holes there.

MADDIE SZERYK: I can't remember. It's just all a blur. After we walked off 16 I was like, oh, I birdied 13, 14, 15. I had three in a row.

Just had I think 7-footer, 15-footer, made an 18-footer that was going pretty hard so I was really happy to hit the hole.

Just gave myself a lot of good looks. Yeah, I think the first one was like a five-footer and then 15, 18. So just really good speed and matching the lines really well.

Q. You're in a vastly different spot four tournaments into the year. Well, obviously this is your first one of the season. On the schedule four into the year. What does this do for your confidence? You have to be riding it right now?

MADDIE SZERYK: Oh, absolutely. I am on the verge of tears of just like how happy I am and how it just a grind today and I was able to come back and just give myself a chance.

To kick off this year so strong is huge. I'm just so happy and relieved.

Q. You were telling me a couple days ago it's not as scary this year. The golf looks different. What's different this year? I feel like, I don't know, maybe the body is a little bit stronger. You can play more aggressively. What's different in terms of the golf?

MADDIE SZERYK: I just worked really, really hard this off-season. I knew my weaknesses and just like really went crazy with it.

I knew I could compete out here. I knew because there was a lot of -- the friends I grew up with are succeeding out here, so I was like I was with them growing up so I know my game is there.

I just like really put it into overdrive this off-season. I had two good tournaments last year and so I was able to see, okay, I can get there. Just putting it into that next gear with everything was huge.

Q. Finally from me, being able to do that this early in the year, do you feel like you belong out here finally?

MADDIE SZERYK: Yeah, for sure. I feel like this was a great start to the season. Like, okay, I'm here to compete and show that I'm not -- it wasn't a fluke that I got on tour.