PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Madelene Sagstrom knows she looks pregnant — 26 weeks pregnant, to be exact — but she didn’t expect her decision to tee it up at the U.S. Women’s Open to receive this kind of attention.This week at Riviera, Sagstrom went viral on social media, received multiple on-course ovations, and became the subject of several headlines — like this one — even though she won’t be playing the weekend at her 10th U.S. Women’s Open. The 33-year-old Swede shot 77-76 to miss the cut by seven shots Friday, as spectators on-site marveled at her participation.That was never the goal for Sagstrom.“I didn’t realize it was going to turn into such a spectacle, the whole thing. For me, golf is all I’ve ever done, and it’s my job,” Sagstrom told The Athletic after signing her scorecard. “So it was natural. If I feel good, just keep trying to play. But it’s so lovely. It’s nice that people are understanding that it’s not easy, and everyone’s been super supportive.”Ranked No. 73 in the world with two career wins on tour, it does not appear to be easy for Sagstrom to walk away from competition, even for a short hiatus to give birth to her first child, a baby boy, in September.That is evidenced by Sagstrom’s schedule. During her pregnancy, Sagstrom has played in six tournaments, including the U.S. Women’s Open. And she’s not done yet. Next, Sagstrom will head to the LPGA’s team event, the Dow Championship in Michigan, to compete for one more week. June’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was originally on her radar, too. But as Sagstrom’s physical state changes by the day, so do her plans.“I keep saying I will keep going until my body’s telling me something different, and I think that it’s telling me to,” she said. “I lose my stamina out there. And then when I get tired, I’m not hitting the right shots. If I’m going to play, I want to be able to compete. I’m going to play one more.”It’s safe to say that Sagstrom’s husband, Jack Clarke, who caddies on the PGA Tour for Adrien Dumont de Chassart, would agree with that decision. The couple is based in Orlando, Fla., and though Sagstrom already limits her preparation for tournaments to an hour or two each day, Clarke has to step in every once in a while with a friendly reminder when they’re both at home.“Orlando’s getting pretty hot, so I try to tell her to not be out there for too long,” he said, walking outside the ropes while watching his wife compete. “But her being an athlete, she has it in her mind, ‘Oh, I should be doing plenty more.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re carrying a child; you should relax.’“To see her do what she does, it’s an inspiration.”Sagstrom maintained she would continue to play as long as she listened to her doctors and stopped if she were ever in pain. She has done just that. Sagstrom has begun to experience Braxton Hicks contractions, which are common but uncomfortable, as she approaches her third trimester. But generally, she’s had a smooth pregnancy and knows she is lucky on that front. Sagstrom is grateful to be practicing, playing and traveling on tour with a community that knows the struggle well.After tidying up a par on Riviera’s second hole by getting up and down from 68 yards, Sagstrom had some time to kill while her playing partners finished. So she sat down in a volunteer’s folding chair in the shade for a few minutes and took a breath. Her fellow competitors did not bat an eye.Several other women have competed on the LPGA Tour while carrying a child. Amy Olson did so at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open while seven months pregnant. Just last month, Stacy Lewis retired from professional golf after playing in the Chevron Championship while four months pregnant. To play while carrying a child at any stage, these women are battling a major change in the center of gravity in their golf swings.Sagstrom now has to stand 2 inches farther away from the ball to swing, and she switched out all of her iron shafts last month in favor of a model that is 20 grams lighter. She has lost more than 30 yards off the tee with her driver, and simply walking 18 holes presents an entirely new challenge, too.“What people aren’t remembering is that pregnancy impacts every joint in the body,” says Savannah Gardner, a clinician with the LPGA’s sports medicine department. “On top of that, her cardiovascular output is so much stronger. Your blood flow increases by 40 to 50 percent during pregnancy, so not only does she have to deal with the biomechanic side of it, (but) her system as a whole is changing.”Sagstrom feels the occasional kick while on the course, and her baby’s body sinks lower in her abdomen when she gets fatigued. But for the most part, Sagstrom says he sleeps while she’s on the golf course — another element of the pregnancy that she’s thankful for.“I think he’s going to be a little golfer,” she said. “He seems to like the movement.”There is an understanding among the women who play professionally that continuing to compete during pregnancy is an incredible feat, but it is also viewed as normal. For players who hope to start a family but aren’t ready to end their careers, it is simply part of the profession.After Friday’s second round, Alison Lee sat tied for the lead at 4 under. She gave birth to her son, Levi, last April and returned to competition this February. Janet Lin sits tied for 17th place. She gave birth in October, and the U.S. Women’s Open is her first tournament back.“I didn’t mean for this to be any sort of inspirational journey. It was never meant to be that,” Sagstrom said. “But if I can inspire somebody, that is great. In our job, it’s sad that compared to men’s golf, we have to sacrifice family a bit more. But look at Alison Lee. It just proves that you can play well and you can come back.“It’s good to show that there’s more to our lives than just to play golf. We live day in and day out with our results, and sometimes we make decisions about other things that are important to us. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t do this and you can’t come back if you want to.”Sagstrom is planning for a return to competition next season, after maternity leave and the LPGA’s winter Asia swing. She’s already looking forward to life on tour with a new companion.But Friday night, she planned to kick up her feet, preferably while lying down horizontally, after a long day at Riviera. She’d fuel her body with a hearty dinner and get a good night’s rest.Then, it’s back to work — for one more week.