LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Something is up with former University of Louisville golf standout Lauren Hartlage. The Elizabethtown, Ky., native has played some of her best professional golf over the past several weeks, and on Saturday fired her second straight 69 to head into the final round of Sunday’s Women’s PGA Championship tied for second, two strokes off the lead.
While most headlines center around leader Amy Yang, a 34-year-old South Korean who is looking to win her first major in 75 tries, Hartlage’s ascent would be no less noteworthy. Her best finish in a major is a tie for 41st. She missed the cut in all three majors she played last year, and has had to go back to Q-school to earn her card after each of her first two pro sesaons.
Yet here she is, in contention in a major. To head into Sunday with a chance to win is a, well, major development.
She was in danger of missing the cut again on Saturday, but has rallied with 28 straight bogey-free holes.
“Definitely the last few weeks I've been playing better,” Hartlage said after her round Saturday. “I didn't get into Mizuho or the U.S. Open so I had some time off before ShopRite (LPGA Classic in New Jersey) to kind of work on my swing, my mental game, get ready for the stretch of tournaments and it's been really paying off.”
Hartlage missed the fairway on her first tee shot Saturday at Sahalee Country Club just outside Seattle, but quickly steadied to play a bogey-free round. Her mental game will get an even greater test on Sunday with a career-defining opportunity in front of her. She acknowledges it’s a new kind of challenge.
Hartlage won a couple of events at U of L, but the pressure of a major will be a different test, she knows.
“I don't think you're ever going to be completely comfortable out there,” she said. “It's just managing your feelings and letting yourself stay in the moment and just know that -- I mean, I know I'm not going to be comfortable on the first tee tomorrow. Just accepting that and letting it play more freely out there. . . . I'm super excited. Never been in this position before and this is something that I dreamed about growing up as a kid, so it's really awesome to be in this position and just kind of see how it goes and learn from every day, every round.”
The 26-year-old finished her U of L career as an honorable mention All-American as voted on by coaches, was a three-time All-ACC performer, ACC Freshman of the Year, and set a slew of school records. She was the first women’s golfer in U of L history to finish a season under par.
Hartlage said focusing on her mental game has been a major part of her recent success. She also has been working with swing coach Grant Waite, himself a former winner on the PGA Tour.
“A problem I had had at the beginning of the year is I like to look at the future, and if I miss a cut or two I'm already, ‘Oh, I'm going to miss the next three cuts,’” she said. “It's just hard to not to give yourself maybe some negative thoughts your day or round if you hit some bad shots. So just staying more in the moment, just recognizing that one bad shot or tournament doesn't mean the rest of your season is going to be bad has been important.”
It was important after a slow start on Friday, but she rallied for five birdies in her last seven holes in a round that didn’t conclude until 8 p.m., Pacfiic time.
Her parents are with her, and she credits the presence of her mom, Kim, herself a former Division I player at WKU and later her coach, with being a steadying presence.
“She understands everything that comes along with playing golf, the ups and the downs,” Hartlage said. “. . . it's been nice to have my parents come whenever they can, especially during the summer they're able to come to more tournaments. They love golf and they're very supportive of me. They don't add any extra pressure. They just want to see me happy and do as well as I can.
It's been great to have them in my corner.”
The winner of the KMPG PGA Women’s Championship will win $1.56 million. The total purse for the event is $10.6 million.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved/
