Texas A&M senior golfer Maddie Szeryk was in for a surprise when she discovered last Monday that she had grabbed one of the last six spots in the U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. this past weekend.
Szeryk earned the first alternate spot at the Fort Worth sectional qualifier at Diamond Oaks Country Club back in May.
Her reaction to the news was short, sweet, and to the point, “It was awesome [to hear]!” Szeryk told GNN.com after finding out she gained a spot in her first major tournament. “I was so excited!”
Coming into this tournament as an amateur, Szeryk said that she was taking this experience as an educational one.
“It’s definitely a learning experience…either way I’m still an amateur.” she explained to GNN.com. “It’s great kind of seeing where my game is with the best in the world.”
Szeryk, however, missed the cut and finished tied for 75^th overall at 5-over. She ended seventh among the amateurs.
Szeryk fared well in the first round, finishing tied for 40^th with an even par 72. She was consistent on the front nine with only one bogey on the fifth hole. Despite the setback, she improved on the back nine, carding two birdies on the 12^th and 13^th hole.
Szeryk’s first round mirrored her statement before the Open regarding her game plan for the weekend.
“It is golf; bad shots do happen. You do get bad breaks. You can also get great shots.” she explained to GNN.com. “I’ve been playing pretty well, so I’m excited for this week. We’ll just kind of see what happens and take it shot by shot.”
With a later tee time on the second day due to bad weather the night before, Szeryk struggled with her shots. She began the second round with two bogeys and then had a double bogey in the eighth hole. The trend continued on the back nine when Szeryk had bogeys on the 10^th, 11^th, and 13^th holes, putting her 5-over-par (77) for the day.