GOLD CANYON, ARIZONA | As the 2023 LPGA Tour season moved stateside for the first full-field event of the year, a young, blond, long-hitting Canadian with a giant, genuine smile and talent to burn caught everyone’s eye.
No, it wasn’t that one.
I’m talking about 26-year-old Maddie Szeryk, a second-year player who was born in Texas, raised by Canadian parents, carries dual citizenship, and made waves in her first start of the year. Szeryk shared the lead after the second round of the LPGA Drive On Championship and was still in the conversation late into Sunday afternoon, a remarkable feat for someone whom most fans couldn’t pick out of a lineup.
But even though you’ve likely never heard of her, if you’re looking for a player to follow, Szeryk is the one. She’s the full package: charm, talent, competitiveness, grit, humility, and wholesome virtue – the kind of woman whom you would want your sons to marry and your daughters to be.
For some history, Szeryk is in her fifth season as a professional, three of them spent bouncing between the Epson Tour and various other mini circuits. She won the 2020 Kingwood Island Championship on the Women’s All Pro Tour, but other than that, her best finish has been an Epson Tour runner-up at the Zimmer Biomet Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez.
Until last year it was a journeywoman existence, far more common in the women’s game than most people realize. Szeryk was an outstanding collegian at Texas A&M. She set an NCAA record for the most rounds of par or better (91) and a Southeastern Conference record with 32 career top-10 finishes.
Her parents, Neil and Karen, moved to Dallas from London, Ontario, while Neil was in chiropractic school. They now make their home in Allen, Texas. Their younger daughter, Ellie, attends nearby SMU and hopes to join Maddie on tour someday.
But that someday needed to come quickly. Age 26 is usually a turning point for women. Unlike men who can make a sustainable living on the Korn Ferry Tour well into their 30s, women like Szeryk – who made $80,197 in three years on the Epson Tour – usually move on to other careers or family choices by their late 20s. There are notable exceptions, but if you look at the careers of most aspiring LPGA Tour pros, they’ve either made it or hung up the spikes by 27.
Whether or not she says it out loud, Szeryk knew that. They all do. That’s why, after a 2022 rookie year during which she made only five cuts, Szeryk did what many in the game never do: She took a hard look at herself and made a change.
“Maddie has matured a lot,” said Salimah Mussani, Team Canada’s women’s head coach. “Getting through Q Series was a big confidence booster. But more than that, she has really dedicated herself to fitness and to building up some speed.”
"That was a goal this year, just to put myself in contention more and to be more comfortable with it and just learn from it. But (winning) would obviously be very special and a great accomplishment.”
Maddie Szeryk
That was the big thing apparent in Arizona. Szeryk didn’t dink any tee shots. She was in the top 10 percent in driving distance, which came as a surprise, even to those who know her.
“She’s been working on her speed drills throughout the winter,” Mussani said. “That was one of the things she isolated that she needed to improve. On the LPGA Tour, to be successful, it comes down to your approach game (proximity to the hole). The way to hit it closer is to be closer. You’re going to hit wedges a lot closer than 7-irons. On the LPGA, everybody hits fairways, so hitting more fairways isn’t going to do it for you. You have to gain distance. For somebody like Maddie – who, in the past, hasn’t put in the time in that kind of training – seeing those dividends is really rewarding.”
After driving the green on the par-4 14th at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club and holing the putt for eagle on Friday, Szeryk said: “I just feel stronger. I'm able to get more out of the ball, so I think that definitely has a big impact.”
Szeryk also has the perspective that comes with being a little older. When she was asked about the fact that a Canadian not named Brooke Henderson hasn’t won an LPGA Tour event in 22 years since Lori Kane in 2001, Szeryk, who is older than Henderson, nodded.
“Yeah, it would be pretty special to do that,” she said. “That was a goal this year, just to put myself in contention more and to be more comfortable with it and just learn from it. But (winning) would obviously be very special and a great accomplishment.”
She added: “It's so amazing to be back in this position because I love being out here. I'm just so thankful to God to have another opportunity to be out here and to compete with the best players.”
You can add gratitude to her list of attributes.
“She’s also feisty and competitive,” Mussani said. “She comes across as this sweet little Southern girl with a combination of Texas and Canadian charm – soft-spoken and apologetic – but she has a fire in the belly.”
She also has a growing fan base, something else unexpected.
“I’m just thrilled to see Maddie playing well,” Mussani said. “This year is going to be a special year for her.”
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Top: With off-season speed training, Maddie Szeryk boosts her driving distance to contend on the LPGA.
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