NAPLES, FLA. - It has been a roller coaster journey, but 2016 Epson Tour graduate Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden) has accomplished the goal she set out to conquer at the age of 13 when she told her parents that she wanted to play on the LPGA Tour.

Sagstrom Bag In order to begin the journey, though, there was one key component that Sagstrom had to improve at an early age.

“What they (my parents) told me was you need to get your grades up, especially my French grade,” said Sagstrom. “I’ve always been very determined, so I got my grade up and then I got into school.”

The 2015 SEC Player of the Year at LSU, Sagstrom made her LPGA debut on January 26 at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. However, it provided more questions than answers. Sagstrom missed the cut and finished dead last at 11-over par.

“I was struggling in the beginning of Epson, and then I proved to myself that I was good enough,” Sagstrom said. “Then everything started over. Maybe I didn’t deserve my card. Those kinds of thoughts kept popping up. I think I needed to go through it to be able to get to the point where I could be fighting for good spots.”

After her first tournament, Sagstrom turned the page and has put together an exceptional rookie campaign. Her first top 10 finish came at the Kingsmill Championship in May, her seventh career start, where she tied for seventh at 8-under par. Overall, Sagstrom has a total of four top 10 finishes with her best place coming at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship (tied for third).

CME Heading into the final event of the year—the CME Group Tour Championship—Sagstrom is ranked 49th on the LPGA official money list, having earned $401,657 so far. That’s the standard for players from the 2016 Epson Tour class.

“It’s a roller coaster all the time because you’re on a high, then you can get to the lowest low next week,” said Sagstrom. “It has been very emotional and fun at the same time.

To add to her already impressive rookie resume, Sagstrom was a member of team Europe at this year’s Solheim Cup.

“When you’re in it, you don’t really realize what you’re doing,” Sagstrom said. “Looking back on everything, it has been an amazing rookie year.”

Even with the success, Sagstrom says the transition from the Epson Tour to the LPGA has taken time. From developing the proper mindset for competition each week, to becoming familiar with each stop, it has been quite a process.

“Last year and this year, every single tournament that I’ve gone to has been new,” said Sagstrom. “I know who I was on Epson. But who am I out here? How good am I, actually, compared to these girls? That took a while to get adjusted to and get away from focusing on just making cuts. It has been up and down, the way of thinking.”

Caddie Sagstrom As she wraps up her first season on the LPGA, Sagstrom points to two avenues that have helped find her groove. The first was her time spent playing on the Epson Tour.

“Epson was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Sagstrom said. “People might have thought that my game was good enough, but I wasn’t ready mentally or emotionally.”

The second is the unconditional support she receives from her family.

“I’m so glad that she’s living her dream,” said Lena Sagstrom, Madelene’s mother. “She’s been so determined and focused. I’m extremely impressed and proud of the kind of person she is and what she’s achieved. I think she’s grown even more this year.”

With her LPGA card safe for 2018, Sagstrom can play free at this week’s CME Group Tour Championship. The event that signifies the end of the LPGA season is more than a tournament; it’s a celebration of the year that was.

“This week I’m really focusing on going out and being the best version of myself,” said Sagstrom. “I want to feel empty when I’m done this week.”

Sagstrom Headlines 2016 Epson Tour Class in LPGA Rookie Season

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