Sweden’s Madelene Sagström is excited to be back home as she looks to emulate Linn Grant‘s success and reign victorious at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.
The world no 28 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be teeing up competitively in Sweden for the first time in eight years this week as she goes head-to-head with 78 men and 78 women at Ullna Golf Club in Stockholm.
“It’s super cool to be at home,” Sagström said. “This is the first time I’ve played in Sweden since 2015. It’s a huge week for me to be here to represent both myself and the Swedes. It’s super exciting and this golf course is fantastic.”
This year marks the third edition of the co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour, with Sagström looking to become its second female winner after Grant’s heroics in 2022 when she won by nine shots.
“I think having a male winner the first year and then a female winner last year was perfect,” the Solheim Cup star continued. “It just shows what this event is trying to do, having it competitive from both sides.
“It was really awesome to see Linn win. Everyone was pulling for her last year and I think all of us are trying to do the same this year. It’s going to be really fun.”
The Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed marks Sagström’s first Ladies European Tour (LET) appearance of 2023, but the 30-year-old arrives in Sweden full of confidence as the second-best ranked female player in the field.
She said: “I want to beat them all. I want to show the men how good I am too. All of us girls want to show that we can play here this week and compete against the men. It’s really cool.
“I hit it far, so it’s always a little bit hard for me to compare distance wise. There are a few spots here where you have to hit some corners, and there are also some really narrow holes and plenty of water. It’s going to be interesting. You need to drive it well and keep it in the right spots, and then the putter obviously needs to be hot.”
Sagström will be teeing up alongside Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello and tournament host Annika Sörenstam in rounds one and two, and remains full of praise for all the work her countrywoman continues to do for the sport.
“I’m really close to her and her family,” Sagström said. “So it’s nice to be here to also represent them in a way and help them. I’m obviously not Annika, but I’m still hoping I can bring some fans from my hometown.
“She’s done so much for me personally, and as for [what she’s done for] the game, we can’t even start, we would have to be here all day!
“It’s awesome that she’s working so hard for women’s golf and trying all these different things to make the game more interesting. The fact she’s also playing herself is a huge commitment.”
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