The CP Women’s Open, Maddie Szeryk says, was the highlight of her year. She finally had a great result – her tie for 26th at the August event was the best of 2022 to that point – and she played in front of tons of friends and family. The Canadian fans, she remembers, would get excited to see “who that ‘Maddie’ girl” was, and that was special.

Now, after making it through the LPGA Tour’s gruelling eight-round Q-Series tournament and re-earning LPGA Tour status for next year, Szeryk says she’s looking forward to creating even more special memories.

“I’m just excited. I know what I’m getting into this year and it’s not new and overwhelming. I’m more confident and more comfortable going out there,” says Szeryk, who spent her holiday season at her family’s home in London, Ont. “I’m excited to get out there and play well and really get after it this year.”

Szeryk will join Golf Town athlete Brooke Henderson, Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp as the Canadian foursome with status on the LPGA Tour for 2023.

The 26-year-old made five cuts on the LPGA Tour this past season, with her best result coming at The Ascendent LPGA benefitting Volunteers of America in September, when she finished tied for 24th.

Given where she ended up on the Tour’s money list, Szeryk had to return to the LPGA’s qualifying tournament. Its finale takes place over eight rounds, and at two separate courses. She grinded it out, however, and finished tied for 17th at 17 under.

“After the first week, I was in a great spot, but we were playing a whole new course, and it was four more rounds. It’s not like we just had one more day to go – there was a whole other week of this,” recalls Szeryk, who admits it was more of a mental grind than a physical one. “You just had to stay in the moment and patient. I knew I was playing well, and I was confident, but you had to… not get too far ahead of yourself because there was a whole other week! At the end of it, I was just relieved.”

Szeryk, who had a celebrated college career at Texas A&M before turning pro and playing on the Epson Tour – the LPGA’s feeder circuit – each year since 2019. She earned LPGA Tour status via the Q-Series finale last year, too.

She says 2022 was all about learning, and she is excited to apply those learnings to her game in 2023. She didn’t do much of anything with her swing, she says, even when she reached the sport’s highest level – something she’s looking to continue next year.

“We just really focused on the basic techniques and getting in a good spot with good balance and honing in those basics. Getting more comfortable out there at the end of the year helped,” she explains. “I (knew I didn’t) have to be perfect at every step. Just had to be patient and move on.”

Szeryk is thrilled to also be able to plan things a little better in 2023 versus this year. She’s got plenty of experience to build on now and will likely make her season debut when the Tour heads to the LPGA Drive On Championship in Arizona at the end of March.

“Last year I didn’t have as great status at the start (of the season) so tournaments I got into were very last minute. I’d have to go to California the next day or even the same day. I’d be running to the airport and booking my hotel and rental car at the same time,” she says. “Being able to know ahead of time and prepare mentally for that, just knowing when I have a tournament and being ready, it’s not as stressful which will be really nice. That’ll be huge.”