You’ve Got Mail: Castle, Frye Accept Invitations to 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Two University of Kentucky women’s golfers, Jensen Castle and Laney Frye, accepted invitations to compete at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, it was announced by the committee Wednesday.
The invitations to compete at the renowned championship were sent in January and 70 players have been confirmed for the tournament, which will be held in Augusta, Georgia, March 29 – April 1.
Each of the top 45 eligible amateurs in the final 2022 World Amateur Golf Ranking have accepted invitations to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Castle, a senior from West Columbia, South Carolina, is currently No. 25 on that list, while Frye, a junior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, is ranked No. 75.
Both Wildcats are playing at the top of their game after helping Kentucky to two straight tournament wins to close out the Fall 2022 schedule. They’re both on track to crushing the single-season, scoring-average program record, with Castle boasting a 70.3 scoring average (844 strokes / 12 rounds) and Frye owning a 70.4 scoring average (845 strokes / 12 rounds) through four tournaments this season.
The two teammates currently own the top three marks on the single-season, scoring-average program record list, while no player has ever posted an average lower than 71.88.
Meanwhile, Castle and Frye have had impressive finishes in recent noncollegiate tournaments. Castle is the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion, while Frye won the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur stroke play portion of the tournament.
A current listing of the confirmed field and bios is available here.
Beginning the week prior to the 87th Masters Tournament, the international field will compete across 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players and ties taking place after 36 holes. The first two rounds will take place on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club on Wednesday, March 29 and Thursday, March 30. The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round on Friday, March 31. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 1 and will feature the competitors who made the cut.
New in 2023, the first and second rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be broadcast live on Golf Channel (1:30-3:30 p.m. ET) from Champions Retreat Golf Club. NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours (Noon-3 p.m. ET) of live final-round coverage of the event at Augusta National. Additionally, Golf Channel’s “Live From the Masters” will commence on Friday, April 1 at Augusta National to provide coverage of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals and the Masters Tournament.
Tickets to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur are sold out following an online ticket application process. No tickets will be available at the gates. For more information, please visit ANWAgolf.com and follow the event’s official social media channels (@ANWAgolf) across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
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.
