Madelene Sagstrom has propelled herself into a category among some of the best women’s golfers in LSU history.
The senior has led the Tigers by finishing in the top-15 scoring positions in all but one tournament this season, and her understanding of a foundational part of the game has accentuated her success.
“Madelene [Sagstrom] has an unbelievable, great knowledge of the golf swing,” said LSU coach Karen Bahnsen. “She helps her teammates with fundamentals and mechanics when [coaches] are not around.”
Bahnsen said Sagstrom has influenced junior Elise Bradley and her performance this season. Sagstrom is consistently sharing her knowledge of the golf swing with her teammates, helping them however she can.
Sagstrom has competed in three tournaments during the spring campaign, shooting an overall score of 1-under par, 4-under par and 6-under par,respectively.
The Enkoping, Sweden, native and a three-time All-Southeastern Conference First Team member has continued to improve throughout her career, but Bahnsen said her intensity outside of tournaments makes her special.
“She leads by example,” Bahnsen said. “She works really, really hard. She finishes her workouts by 6 a.m. at least five times a week. She stays after practice to work on her game, staying very dedicated to her work ethic. The entire team sees this and follows through on this.”
Sagstrom has learned her work ethic from Bahnsen, and former LSU golfer and roommate Lindsay Gahm, who has been Sagstrom’s go-to friend for advice on golf, school and life in general.
“Madelene is very focused and dedicated to school and golf,” Gahm said. “I’ve tried to tell her not to be so hard on herself. I tell her that she doesn’t have to go ‘100 percent’ all the time,
sometimes just take a break. She just never quits, and that is what makes her great.”
Sagstrom has taken what she has learned from her advisers and said she sees herself like many other college students figuring out what to do for the rest of their lives.
“One of the things I have learned in college is to put everything into perspective,” Sagstrom said. “Golf is not the entire world. I am not going to die on a golf course. I want to show the team that there is more to being happy than just playing golf. I am always giving 100 percent, continuing to be happy playing the game.”
The senior said the shift in the way she looks at her own life has affected her teammates and her golf game.
“One thing that has improved is definitely my mental game,” Sagstrom said. “I am much more happier when I play. I don’t feel as much pressure anymore. My game is basically the same — I am hitting the same golf shots. Just now, I am not in the way of myself anymore.”
You can reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR.