She is 7 months pregnant – and playing the US Women's Open
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif.— Madelene Sagstrom was minutes away from finishing her first round at the US Women's Open when she had to pause, stand up straight, look at her caddy and take a deep breath.
It sounds as a perfect silencer to handle the remaining 6 meter buffer. Instead, this was her way of working through earlier contractions, also known as Braxton Hicks contractions – uncomfortable cramps in the abdomen or pelvis that occur during the third trimester of pregnancy.
That's right — Sagstrom is seven months pregnant and teed off 18 holes at Riviera Country Club Thursday morning, taking a few walks here and there when her baby boy felt like changing. And he's been on the move a lot lately, “redecorating his bedroom” last night when he tried to fall asleep before 7:29 am.
“It was the first time I really knew to hear like he's getting bigger and bigger,” Sagstrom said, moments after teeing off from Riviera's 18th green.
The 33-year-old is the 73rd-ranked player in the world and, as you can imagine, he is very determined. You will have every reason to take it easy but find that his golf is a guiding purpose during pregnancy. Her husband, Jack Clarke, plays on the PGA Tour and Sagstrom often finds herself home alone.
“[Golf] it gives me a reason to get up in the morning,” he says, “To go to the golf course, to play. I was playing well and beating my friends at home, I am why don't you trydo you know?”
Why don't you try?
Only women could. Every pregnancy is different. Sagstrom isn't the first pro to compete while pregnant and she won't be the last. But it is possible that in some ways he is the most driven. No matter how this week goes, he plays next week, at the Dow Championship in Michigan. And she hasn't ruled out the KPMG Women's PGA at the end of the month, although she said Thursday's round – the first time she's played 18 games this week – made her wonder if that would happen.
For professional golfers, even the smallest changes can throw everything off course. (To all golfers!) They'd rather be robots than humans, putting their body parts into repetitive motions and into perfect poses. But what is perfect or repeatable or predictable about pregnancy? As the last months passed, Sagstrom's coach noticed that the angle of the spine had changed four degrees to the front, completely changing his angle of attack to the golf ball. His arms got tired swinging the same clubs he'd played for years, so he switched to a new central New Jersey club, adding more woods to the bag than before. He regrets not changing sooner. He lost at least 5 mph of swing speed and more than 10 mph of ball speed.
“Unless you're pregnant or have kids, you don't realize how hard it is,” Sagstrom said. “And I don't think I saw it either, I mean, at the beginning of the year – when I found out I was pregnant – I was like, I will do this, this, this and this. Then it hits you hard.”
Saying this, Sagstrom smiles. That's what only hyper-competitive people do when they smell a challenge.
“But it's fun to explore the boundaries,” he said. “Right now, what can I do? Can I really understand this?”
Walk with his group on the Riviera and hear the gossip of the spectators.
Wow, seven months pregnant!
Do you see how it goes?
I can't believe you are doing this.
Inside the ropes, at least between pre-contractions, she seems to forget about the message she is sending to the world. Her husband walked all 18 holes, proud, worried, impressed, and smiling. But after signing off on a 6-over 77, Sagstrom said he was “pissed off.” He saw some boundaries for the first time, right after the impact and through the swing. All of a sudden, he's fighting a toe hook. He couldn't make a birdie putt, and he's working with a strange mix of altered expectations. (When he went outside for an eagle on the 3rd hole during Wednesday's practice, he said, “Why today? Why not tomorrow?”)
“At the same time, I don't want to stop my life,” she said. “I love my life. I get to play the Riviera for fun. Even if it's not fun. Whatever you want to call it.”
His first thought, after signing his scorecard, was to go practice. But then he would have to go up the mountain of stairs again to Riv's house. Lunch sounded better.
“But if I sit down,” he said with a laugh, “I will fight to get up.”
