LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Just a year removed from her time at the University of Louisville, Elizabethtown native Lauren Hartlage has earned her way onto the LPGA tour.
She's now figuring out the sponsors, travel, planning and playing golf at the game's highest level.
After finishing up an All-American career, Hartlage began life as a golf professional rather auspiciously. She made it through the three-stage, multiple month grind of qualifying school.
"I made it through the first two and then the last stage is two weeks long in December," said Hartlage. "There's a cut after four rounds and eight rounds total so it was definitely a stressful process but I made it through and I was super excited to be able to earn my LPGA card for this year."
Among the unexpected things she's learning? How to be kind of bossy sometimes. That doesn't come naturally.
"Honestly the biggest surprise for me is kind of dealing with the caddies because I've never had a caddy before," said Hartlage. "I've never been the boss of somebody so that's kind of been an adjustment. I'm like 'wow this is kind of weird you know, having someone on my schedule and helping me out'. It's been a good surprise but something different."
Hartlage is still low on the pecking order and often doesn't know what events she might get in until a week or two in advance. That makes it hard to do any long-term planning but results are starting to come.
She made her first LPGA check last week and won a separate qualifier just prior to that to get in her first U.S. Women's Open. That's being played at Pine Needles in North Carolina June 2-5.
She is doing her best not to look too far down the road.
"I'm just really trying to stay positive this year and stay in the moment," Hartlage said. "It's really easy to get ahead of yourself and start thinking about what could happen in the future, what could not happen you know. So I think if I could do my best at staying in the moment I'll have the best chance of playing the best golf which will kind of lead me to the results that I'm looking for."
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