FREED GROUP WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

August 3, 2023

Maddie Szeryk

Dundonald Links

Quick Quotes

Q. And what a wonderful day to take advantage of the conditions on the links. What's it like here at the first day of the women's Scottish?

MADDIE SZERYK: Definitely fun to get started with no wind, and finished breezy but I finished with three birdies. That always feels good coming off the round. We try it play a lot of the middle of the greens and loose shots and rolling with it.

Q. What do you like about the challenges of links golf and these types of courses over here in Scotland?

MADDIE SZERYK: You can kind of hit any shot you want. You can be very creative with it, and it's a lot of punch shots. Like yesterday in the practise round, we are like try to run it up and see what happens and try these three-quarter knock-downs. You have to have fun with it because it is very challenging and it can be very taxing, but you just have to try your best.

Q. You're coming off your first appearance in the Amundi Evian Championship. These European swings are feeling like four different courses over these four weeks. What's it been like preparing for Dundonald, and where do you feel your game is for a week like this?

MADDIE SZERYK: I think it's helping that I can hit the knock-down shots to try to keep it a little more in play but it's so different. The weather is drastic and it's cold, windy. We've had a lot of rain and I know there's more coming, but I think you just have to be mentally prepared for anything. It can be sunny or some sun but I think it's mostly going to be very windy.

Q. For those three consecutive birdies coming in, you had the bogey, to rebound like that and close off, what was working well the last couple holes?

MADDIE SZERYK: I had really good clubs and good speed. My putting was solid today. A lot of tap-ins which is great. So I knew I was close. I made like two 20-footers and like a 6-footer for that second birdie. Just speed was really good, so kind of keeping it in play and then knowing that I was close.

Q. What do you take away from a round like this? Is there anything you're going to the range to improve upon or the weather is what will be?

MADDIE SZERYK: I have to go practise some knock-downs and the wind picking up because this is what I'll be playing tomorrow. So just really dialing in the knock-downs and just trying to keep it as straight as possible.