FORD CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY KCC

March 29, 2024

Sarah Schmelzel

Seville Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, a bogey-free of 63. Just overall Sarah, we talked about how much this event being in kind of your backyard means to you. What does it mean to go out and do what you did there today?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I had quite a few family and friends out there today so it was just awesome. One of my friends was fist bumping me for every birdie, so we got pretty excited towards the back nine when we were tallying them up pretty good.

But it just feels great to get some putts going in. It's always nice to see the momentum keep going, so just looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. So I know you went to Xavier. What part of town did you grow up in?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: North Central Phoenix, Moon Valley area.

Q. So probably getting to this side of town, maybe didn't do that a whole lot back growing up. Were you familiar with this course at all before this week?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I have never played before this week. I've played out at Superstition. I've played Long Bow. Played a few courses out this way, but don't get out here too much. About an hour from my house, so this is my first time out here this week and loving it.

Q. Just waking up in your own bed, I assume there is a lot of comforts, you don't have to worry about all the travel stuff. I am sure that helps.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: I'm actually in a hotel this week. Just cutting the commute down a little bit. I'm fighting traffic in both directions, so I'm staying in a hotel this week.

Still the familiarity of the grass, of the visuals of the golf course is so familiar to me that it just feels like home when I'm out here. It's very comfortable.

Q. When you left for college, was it always in the back of your mind to come back to Arizona someday?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, I lived in South Carolina for my first year post-grad, and then came back here. The first time I left Phoenix my freshman year and came home for Thanksgiving I was like, wow, do I miss this place.

So I think always. My whole family is out here and we're all really close, so just nice to have everyone in one spot.

Q. Your '24 season is off to a pretty good start. What is something that's different? Is there one thing that's changed for you this year?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, just been working hard with my swing coach, my mental coach. Just a change the perspective. Trying to take advantage of what we have every day instead of worrying about what we don't have, and try and put one foot in front of the other and staying really present.

Q. Tell me about the putting. I know it's something that's been -- I feel like you've been on fire the last few events. Putting change or putter change? Anything that has been working differently maybe with the putter this season?

SARAH SCHMELZEL: The putter I'm using right now I played with for maybe two, two of that seasons. Last year I experimented with some other stuff and didn't work out too well.

Went back to this one during the off-season and worked with a putting coach. Just really helped me how to figure out how to read greens better. First lesson I took from him he said, your stroke is pretty good, we can maybe tweak a few of these things, but we got to learn how to read greens better.

I think overall just made me a lot more confident when I get over a putt that this is my process of reading the green. Whether it goes in or not, at least I went through this process, and then I can learn from it better.

That's been the biggest change with my putting this year.

Q. How much fun is it to be able to tee it up every single time and know you have -- maybe not this low -- a low one in the tank? I feel like you've had so many low rounds so far this year.

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, for sure. It's nice when you have some momentum going. You kind of just feel super free and you've seen putts going in so you're not really forcing it too much.

It's always nice to know that nine birdies in one day is in the tank for coming days, coming weeks in the year. So I'll take it and put it in my back pocket.

Q. Is it just more fun to play this kind of golf, and consistency play this kind of golf? I people get it and kind of lose it. For you, is it fun to have this for a longevity period, or...

SARAH SCHMELZEL: Yeah, for sure. It's fun to see hard work come together. I've just been focusing on my process so much more this year than in years past, and kind of a little more particular about how I go about things.

More than anything, just really cool to see the type of work I've been doing have a positive effect. Every week is not going to be your week, every day is not going to be your day.

I feel super confident in the process and that's all I can ask for.