Nicholasville Native Laney Frye Secures LPGA Tour Card
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s golf alumna and Nicholasville, Kentucky, native Laney Frye will be an LPGA Tour rookie in 2026.
The Wildcat, who graduated last spring as an All-American, concluded her first season on the Epson Tour over the weekend, finishing tied for ninth place at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells (272, -16). Prior to the season finale, she was 14th in the Race for the Card rankings, needing to finish in at least 10th place at the Epson Tour Championship to remain in the top 15, according to projections at the time.
She did just that thanks to a 16-under-par 272 for T9, checking in at 15th in the Race for the Card rankings, the exact amount of spots available for LPGA Tour membership in 2026.
It was a long rookie season on the Epson Tour leading up to that moment.
Frye played in 19 tournaments, making 16 cuts and racking up six finishes inside the top 10. She earned as high as second place at the Great Lakes Championship in June.
“I am pumped,” said Frye. “It was a long week and a lot of emotion. So to have it all come together to this point, it feels great.”
The Epson Tour annually awards LPGA Tour membership to the top players in the Race for the Card rankings at the conclusion of the season. For the second straight year, 15 players earned their cards based on a points ranking, rewarding the players who consistently proved their game to be LPGA-ready.
From 1999 to 2002, the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA handed out three cards. From 2003 to 2007, that number increased to five, and in 2008 it increased to 10. In 2024, the Tour, again, increased the number of cards to 15.
Frye was one of five players who were Epson Tour rookies in 2025 and will be LPGA Tour rookies in 2026.
The Bluegrass native finished her four-year career with the University of Kentucky women’s golf program ranked first (2022-23, 70.96) and second (2023-24, 71.00) in single-season scoring averages in program history. She also finished her college career ranked first (2022-23, 20) and second (2023-24, 17) in single-season, par-or-better rounds in program history and first in career par-or-better rounds in program history (64). She also finished with the 18-hole round school record (9-under-par 63 in the NCAA Pullman Regional Third Round).
She earned four All-America nods and three All-Southeastern Conference nods across her four seasons, while also being named a four-time All-American Scholar and was the winner of the 2022-23 Edith Cummings Munson Award.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on X, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
