Cary-Grove grad Molly Lyne competes in 1st LPGA event to end summer on high note

Molly Lyne experienced the thrill of a lifetime after two rounds of championship-level golf in early June.

Lyne, a Cary-Grove graduate, and University of Louisville teammate Lauren Hartlage won the LPGA Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational qualifier to fulfill a lifelong dream and earn an exemption into the July 14-17 LPGA tournament at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan.

“I was obviously thrilled, but I was also kind of in shock,” Lyne said of qualifying for her first LPGA event. “The LPGA people afterward had this little award ceremony and gave us all of the information about the tournament, and I called my parents right away.

“I was ready to go. I was ready to play that day.”

Lyne and Hartlage combined to shoot an 8-under par 136 over two days at the qualifier, finishing nine shots ahead of the second-place team. Lyne and Hartlage posted a 6-over-par 78 in the first round at Midland but fared much better in the second round with a 64, missing the third-round cut by six shots.

In one of their rounds, Lyne and Hartlage were paired in a foursome with American golfer Cristie Kerr, who has 20 LPGA wins in her career, including two major championships, and at one point was the No. 1 golfer in the world.

Lyne and Hartlage were the only amateurs among 72 teams competing for a $2.3 million purse.

“It showed me that, basically, the sky’s the limit,” Lyne said. “It was definitely one of my dreams since I was little. To be able to do it at this young of an age, it just really shows that any struggles I might have with my confidence or any self doubts that I do have, I shouldn’t have. The potential is there for me, and there’s no limit to what I can do.”

Lyne also met American golfer Lexi Thompson, who in 2011 became the youngest LPGA tournament winner at 16, and Brooke Henderson, who has the most wins of any Canadian golfer (LPGA or PGA).

“The experience was awesome,” Lyne said. “I follow many of the LPGA players, but I didn’t know everyone. It was almost like, ‘All right, you have nothing to lose. Just have fun.’ ... Being able to practice with them was great. The practice facilities and club were awesome. The course was awesome. I loved every second if it.”

Meeting Kerr, Thompson and Henderson was a “bucket list” item for Lyne.

“Those are three that I wanted to meet and all three have totally different personalities,” Lyne said. “You meet these professional golfers and they are so much more chill than you would expect. They’re normal people.

“Cristie Kerr told me to stay patient. If I’m playing bad or if I’m playing great, the biggest thing is to just stay patient. Lexi Thompson told me to have fun. I met a couple of other LPGA players who explained that this is only the beginning of your journey.

Lyne also was thankful to have Hartlage by her side.

“Lauren is an amazing teammate and she’s someone I’ve looked up to since I got to Louisville,” Lyne said. “To have her there with me and talk things out constantly, we just kind of build off each other. It definitely was a a little bit off my shoulders to have her there with me.”

Lyne now enters her sophomore season at Louisville on a high. She played in only three tournaments as a freshman but had a strong showing at the NCAA regionals, posting rounds of 73, 74 and 79 to tie for 51st.

It took Lyne awhile to get used to the demands of college golf.

“The schedule is a lot more than high school, I’ll admit that,’ Lyne said. “You’re pretty much booked from morning to night, so it took a lot fo get used to. I struggled at the beginning but in the end, I played really well. I played well [at regionals] and helped our team there a lot. That gave me a lot of confidence going into this summer. And then the LPGA qualifier happened, so I’ve been experiencing some definite highs lately.”

Lyne, a three-time Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year and four-time IHSA state qualifier, said her biggest improvements will come on the mental side.

“I’m really focused on having a positive mindset,” Lyne said. “I honestly believe my potential hasn’t been reached yet. The more opportunities I have this upcoming season, the more I can kind of explore what is really possible for me, build off of that and just keep getting better.”