Frye Signs National Letter of Intent with Kentucky Women’s Golf
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky’s top high school girls golfer in the class of 2020 is staying home to play at the University of Kentucky.
Laney Frye, out of Lexington Christian Academy, signed a national letter of intent with the UK women’s golf team this week. She will join the Wildcats beginning with the 2020-21 season.
“We are very excited to add Laney to our Kentucky family,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “She is one of the strongest players to come out of our state and it means a great deal to us that she chose to stay close to home and represent the Wildcats.
“Laney is a great student with a strong work ethic, and I know that she will have an immediate impact on our team both academically and athletically. Next fall will be here before we know it and we can’t wait for her to get to campus.”
Borst and assistant coach Brian May search far and wide for future Kentucky Wildcats, but they’ve made a recent priority on keeping Kentucky’s best at the state’s flagship university. Recent examples include junior Sarah Fite and sophomore Ryan Bender.
Frye will continue the trend after following in the footsteps of Fite and Bender in dominating the Kentucky high school golf scene.
At the top of Frye’s impressive credentials is the 2018 Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship. She nearly made it two in a row with a runner-up finish in 2019.
Frye was the anchor behind back-to-back team state championships for LCA in 2018 and 2019. As a result, she was named Kentucky Ms. Golf in both years as well. She’s also a three-time All-State First Team selection.
“I’ve grown up as a Kentucky fan and I love the school and everything it has to offer,” Frye said of her decision to sign with UK. “The coaches as well as leaders in the athletic department work to push the team towards success. To be able to go to school in my hometown is something special and I can’t wait to represent the Wildcats.”
Outside of high school competition, Frye has posted a number of strong showings. She won the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur this summer at nearby Cherry Blossom Golf Club with a two-round score of 7-under par, she medaled at the U.S. Golf Association Girls Junior qualifier, and she qualified for the 2019 Girls Junior PGA Championship – one of the top tournaments in the country – in Hartford, Connecticut, where current UK freshman Jensen Castle placed second.
In recent American Junior Golf Association events, she tied for third place at the Scott Stallings Junior Championship in June, tied for 10th at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational in March and placed in the top 50 of the AJGA Girls Championship in August, a national tournament featuring some of the game’s best players.
Frye has certainly included herself in that mix of the country’s top players. In the most recent Rolex AJGA rankings, she is ranked No. 174 overall and No. 63 in the class of 2020. She is No. 167 in Golfweek’s ratings and No. 28 in the class of 2020.
In the classroom, Frye is a member of the AJGA Scholastic All-America Team and participates in Beta Club and National Honors Society.
Kentucky’s most recent signing class, the class of 2019, has made a major impact on a historic fall season for the UK. Three of the four freshmen have combined for 10 tournament appearances with 27 rounds played, six top-20 finishes and three top-10 showings.
The freshman trio of Castle, Marissa Wenzler and Kelsey Wylie has been a key piece behind two team championships and a runner-up finish. Castle, who owns a team-best 71.3 stroke average heading into the spring, is ranked No. 25 in the latest Golfstat rankings. The fourth freshman, Janika Rüttimann, has been unable to compete due to injury but is expected to play an important role in the spring.
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.
