UK Women’s Golf Signee Frye Wins Inaugural Dye Junior Invitational
CARMEL, Ind. – Kentucky women’s golf signee Laney Frye is generating a ton of momentum heading into her freshman season after running away from the field and winning the inaugural Pete & Alice Dye Junior Invitational this week at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana.
Frye, the lone freshman in the UK women’s golf 2020 signing class, defeated an impressive field of junior golfers with a five-stroke victory.
With rounds of 73, 71 and 70, Frye carded a 54-hole total of 2-under par 214 to beat Kynadie Adams of Gallatin, Tennessee (3-over par) and Annabelle Pancake from Zionsville, Indiana (4-over par).
“To win this is incredible,” Frye said. “It was definitely a goal of mine coming into and something I’ll never forget.”
Frye entered Thursday’s final round with a two-shot lead thanks to seven birdies in the second round, but the Lexington Christian Academy product really ran away from the field with not one but two eagles in the finale.
At 2-over par on the day through eight holes, Frye made her move with an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole to get back to even par on the day. Remarkably, it wasn’t even the highlight of the round.
That came on the par-5 15th hole. After laying up a little more to the right than she wanted to with her second shot, Frye dropped in her shot for eagle from 90 yards out from the first cut, essentially putting the tournament out of reach.
Although she’s been unable to compete in official events during the COVID-19 pandemic up until this week, Frye said she’s been able to practice and play with friends in recent weeks.
“I think that really helped my short game come along and be in good position for this week,” Frye said. “Playing in a tournament is always a different feel so there were definitely some nerves on the first tee.”
Although it’s the first year of the tournament, it was an impressive field Frye finished on top of. Of the 33 players in the field, 15 are considered to be top-100 junior players.
The mission of “The Dye” is to honor the legacy of champion golfers and world-renowned course designers Pete & Alice Dye. The Dyes gave birth to Crooked Stick Golf Club in 1964 and made their home alongside its 18th fairway for many decades. To honor Pete and Alice, the club’s membership has created an annual Junior Invitational featuring national elite junior players.
Crooked Stick is Pete and Alice Dye’s first championship golf course design. It has been recognized as a top 100 golf course since 1971 and has hosted six USGA National Championships, including the U.S. Women’s Open and Senior Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur. John Daly’s historic win in the 1991 PGA Championship, the United States victory in the 2005 Solheim Cup and BMW Championships in 2012 and 2016 won by Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson have all been contested on the historic links of Crooked Stick Golf Club. This week’s setup for the girls played at 6,399 yards.
Frye signed a national letter of intent with UK during the fall signing period.
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 Miss 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 last 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.
“We are very excited to add Laney to our Kentucky family,” UK head coach Golda Borst said at the time of her signing. “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.
In American Junior Golf Association events, Frye 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. 331 overall and No. 100 in the class of 2020. She is No. 187 in Golfweek’s ratings and No. 52 in the class of 2020.
In the classroom, Frye was a member of the AJGA Scholastic All-America Team and participated in Beta Club and National Honors Society.
Frye will be joining what is shaping up to be arguably the strongest group of players in program history. All 10 players from the record-setting 2019-20 season are returning after winning two team championships, setting a new team scoring record and posting 10 top-10 individual finishes.
The group will join Frye and Augusta transfer María Villanueva Aperribay, who posted a 73.6 stroke average in her first season in college.
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.
A post shared by Kentucky Women’s Golf (@kentuckywgolf) on May 27, 2020 at 2:10pm PDT
