Laney Frye Wins Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Laney Frye continues to haul in awards this offseason, being named the winner of the prestigious 2023 Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award on Wednesday.
The Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award is presented annually for Women’s Division I Golf. The award goes to the student-athlete who is an upper classman and both a Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar and a WGCA All-American. If more than one student-athlete qualifies, the student-athlete with the highest GPA receives the award.
A donation of $5,000 is given from the Curtis & Edith Cummings Munson Foundation to the general scholarship fund of the recipient’s institution.
Congratulations to the recipient of the 2023 Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award, Laney Frye of @KentuckyWGolf! pic.twitter.com/X1jHcZClMA
— Women's Golf Coaches (@WGCAGOLF) July 19, 2023
Frye, a rising senior from Lexington, Kentucky, has a 4.0 grade-point average in business, while she has been named to every Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Dean’s List in her college career. Earlier this offseason, she also was named to the WGCA All-American Scholar Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team.
Beyond the classroom, the Wildcat is coming off a season in which she broke four individual school records in 2022-23. Those included the single-season scoring average (70.9), single-season, par-or-better rounds (20), career par-or-better rounds (47) and the low 18-hole round (63). She also helped UK set numerous team records this season, while contributing to two team titles.
The Wildcat made 10 starts this season, playing 30 competitive rounds for the UK lineup. While 20 of her 30 rounds were par-or-better, 11 of her 30 rounds were in the 60s. That includes three rounds of 67, which was her previous career best, before she capped the season with a school-record, bogey-free 63 in the final round at the NCAA Pullman Regional on May 10.
In fact, her 63 down the stretch helped her dip into the top 10 on the individual leaderboard, giving her a team-lead seven top-10 finishes on the season.
Before that, Frye finished T6 at the 2023 Southeastern Conference Championship, which marked the program’s best individual finish at the tournament in more than a decade. There, she had the third-most birdies of any player in the field.
Her sharp shooting this season has helped her claim three of the best tournament totals in her college career, including two 206 (-10) scorecards, one of which helped her team win its first tournament title of the season at the Illini Women’s Invitational, her 207 (-9) at the UCF Challenge and her 210 (-6) to help her team win its second tournament title of the season at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational.
The Wildcat was named to the All-SEC Second Team at the conclusion of the regular season, her second All-SEC designation in her career. She also was named to the 2023 WGCA All-American Second Team and the 2023 Golfweek All-American Third Team. Moreover, Frye was invited to compete at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur this past spring, earning a spot as one of the top 30 amateurs in the U.S.
She recently punched her ticket to the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur after tying for first place at a qualifier at the Chagrin Vallen Country Club in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
