Laney Frye traveled from Kentucky to meet Ted Scott, her swing coach, last fall at the PGA Tour’s CJ Cup in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Scott, a veteran PGA Tour caddie and currently works for World No. Frye was shown by Scottie Scheffler how to make more width in her downswing.
Frye (20) returned home from Lexington to show her new move. She saw TrackMan showing that she was cruising at an impressive 105 mph.
Frye replied to herself, “Well, shoot!” It takes something to get above 100.”
The junior from Kentucky increased her weight shift and rotated to reach 110 mph the first day. This was nearly 30 yards more than she had previously achieved. Scott did not teach her the move, she said. She executed the move and continued to follow it.
Frye found herself on the driver’s seat of the Wildcats in February’s UCF Challenge.
Golda Borst of Kentucky, the head coach, said that Frye now has a speed limit of 290.
Frye will be able to use that power when she plays next week in Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Frye shot 7-iron into Augusta National’s par-5 13th hole for her second shot, and 6 iron into Augusta National’s par-5 15th. Frye is not sure who will be her caddie at Champions Retreat (site for the first two rounds), and Augusta National. However, Scott is possible. Scott won the Masters last year with Scheffler and twice with Bubba Watson.
Frye stated, “He said to me that the best quality people who do well are those who have great distance control with their approach shots.” “So, I’ve been working hard on that quite a lot, little TrackMan games and dialing in my carry numbers.
Jensen Castle, who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur, is honored at Kentucky-Florida’s football game. (Photo by Grant Lee of Kentucky Athletics).
Frye, a wide-eyed woman, stood on the first tee of The Olympic Club while she caddied for Jensen Castle at The 2021 U.S. Women’s Open. Frye believes she was more nervous than Castle, but she saw the best of the world in the ropes and believed she could do it.
Frye said, “Dangit, I want it to get there,” and she qualified for the Women’s Open at Pine Needles in her first year.
Frye was born in Lexington, and her grandfather played golf for Wildcats. Castle, 22 years old, says she never thought she would end up in Kentucky. Castle signed with the Wildcats just 29 days before signing. The University of Indianapolis was her other option, which is a decorated Division II school.
Castle said, “They took a risk on me”, and won the 2021 U.S Women’s Amateur. She also finished T-12 at last years’s ANWA.
Borst stated that the team returned from a redeye flight to find someone at baggage claim asking Castle for a photo with his daughter. Castle, who has five consecutive top-10 Wildcat finishes, graduated last December from marketing school and plans to continue her fifth year at the university to complete her master’s degree in marketing management.
Castle said, “This is why I live,” referring to the hectic schedule that takes him up to Augusta and beyond.
After falling in the shower in January, Castle is still feeling grateful and has been forced to miss a month due to a concussion. Castle didn’t know how badly she had hurt herself, so she immediately went to play volleyball for three hours.
She said, “For five days I couldn’t get up from bed because I was throwing up so much,”
Castle will bring that grateful attitude to Augusta. She arrived in Georgia last year fresh from an 81 at Clemson Invitational.
She stated, “I clearly went into ANWA without any expectations.”
However, this is not the case for 2018.
Castle, who is strong in short game and putting said that Frye continues to inspire her. She described Frye as an underdog on campus, calling her a “underdog”. Frye was the No. 1 college player. 2,191 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She is now 75th.
Castle of Frye claimed that she had just begun to spit fire in the first tournament, which was the Blessings Colllegiate Invitational.
Borst stated that Frye could have won every week if she had played the way she did last fall. It was a difficult adjustment for her to change clubs during the winter.
Scottie Scheffler with Ted Scott, caddie during the third round at the 2022 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY Sports)
Frye and Scott have been in touch since a Christian golf conference that took place in Lexington a decade ago. Scott was 10 years old when he stayed at Frye’s home with Laney. He kept in touch over the years.
The Fryes reached out and spoke to Scott when it was time to look for a new approach. Scott at that time was a full-time coach. Frye has been back caddying for Scheffler since then, so Scott and Frye meet up at PGA Tour events. This is especially enjoyable for Frye who Borst stated “eats, breathes, and lives golf.”
Frye was able to stay behind and watch the Genesis Invitational while the Kentucky team was in Palos Verdes (California) earlier this spring. She also worked with Scott. Frye played at Bel-Air Country Club and Los Angeles Country Club, which were the venues of this year’s U.S. Open, and U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Scott said that Scott has the right tools. It’s a matter of “Hey, can you do it when it matters?” That’s what we are all trying to figure out, right?
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak contributed this article.
