Laney Frye Finished Tied for 30th at Augusta National Women’s Amateur
AUGUSTA, Ga. – University of Kentucky women’s golfer Laney Frye concluded her time at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, earning a 6-over in the final round at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday. The All-American and All-Southeastern Conference golfer earned a 9-over-par 225 through 54 holes at the championship.
“I think it was everything I hoped it would be except the scoring,” Frye said. “It’s just a blast. The nerves on the first tee; every hole is memorable. You think of pro shots, that they’ve hit out there, and you do it during the practice round, but doing it in competition with crowds (is different). I made a 10 to 12-foot slider on the first hole for par, and there was a roar at 8:50 in the morning! There were plenty of people out there. It was such a cool experience that I’m thankful to have had.”
It marked the first time the Nicholasville, Kentucky, native has played an official round at Augusta National. She competed in the championship a season ago but did not make the cut. That changed this year when the senior earned a 3-over through two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club to sit inside the top 30 and ties to advance to Augusta National.
Between the crowds and the mystique at the acclaimed course, Frye had an active scorecard in the final round, earning eight pars, eight bogeys and two birdies.
The Wildcat began her round on the par-4 No. 1, rolling in a 12-footer to start the day even par. She then used that momentum to record a birdie on the par-5 No. 2. The Cat completed the front nine just 1-over, going bogey-par-bogey on hole Nos. 3 through 5. She got back to even with a birdie on the par-4 No. 7, before recording a third bogey on the par-4 No. 9.
On the back nine, she earned bogeys on hole Nos. 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18, filling in the gaps with pars.
“Thank you all for the support all week,” Frye said. “There’s people out here that I have never met before saying C-A-T-S and just cheering us on. It means a lot.”
While the championship has concluded, Frye and her teammates have another big test awaiting.
The Wildcats will compete in the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championship from April 12-16, which will be hosted at The Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, for the first time in conference history.
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.
