Kentucky Native Laney Frye Improves to U.S. Women’s Amateur Round of 32
LOS ANGELES – Laney Frye, All-American and Bluegrass native, has advanced again in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Playing as the No. 40 seed, Frye upset No. 25 Leigh Chien in the match-play round of 64 through 22 holes at Bel-Air Country Club (par 70, 6,187 yards) in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday.
The Wildcat has now advanced to the match-play round of 32 for the second straight summer, and ironically, it was Chien that knocked Frye out in the round of 32 in 2022.
In this afternoon’s rematch, Frye took an early lead, going 1up on the par-4 No. 2 and holding on to that lead through the next hole. Chien tied the match on the par-4 No. 4, then she went 1up herself on the par-4 No. 6. Chien extended her lead to 2up on the par-4 No. 11, but it didn’t take long for Frye to claw her way back into the mix.
The rising senior remained consistent, as Chien bogeyed hole Nos. 12 and 13 to make it a tied ball game. The two went tit-for-tat after that, until Frye earned a par on their 22nd hole, the par-4 No. 4, while Chien recorded a bogey.
No. 40 Frye will square off against No. 8 Nikki Oh at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The Golf Channel will continue its live coverage of the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m. ET.
Fellow UK women’s golfer Jensen Castle’s time at the championship has ended, as the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion lost to third-seeded Gianna Clemente, 4&3.
The order of events and TV schedule for the remainder of the championship are as follows:
Monday, Aug. 7 (18 holes, stroke play)
Tuesday, Aug. 8 (18 holes, stroke play)
Wednesday, Aug. 9 (Round of 64, match play) / Golf Channel (6-9 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Aug. 10 (Rounds of 32 and 16, match play) / Golf Channel (6-9 p.m. ET)
Friday, Aug. 11 (Quarterfinals, match play) / Golf Channel (6-9 p.m. ET)
Saturday Aug. 12 (Semifinals, match play) / Golf Channel (3-6 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Aug. 13 (Championship match, 36 holes) / Golf Channel (7-10 p.m. ET)
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.
