Playing against the best players in the world has done a world of good for Lauren Hartlage. As the 21-year-old Kentucky native faces the second half of her senior season at the University of Louisville, she is one of them.
Hartlage, who checks in at No. 48 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, never trailed on her way to winning the Women’s Orlando International Amateur on Sunday. She opened the tournament – and the 2020 season – with a bogey-free 5-under 67 at Orange County National’s Panther Lakes course in Winter Garden, Florida.
That says something about Hartlage’s short game and her ability to scramble.
“I left myself in good position where I could easily get up and down,” she said.
Women’s Orlando International Amateur: Leaderboard
Photos: U.S. Curtis Cup practice session
The Panther Lakes course rewards long and accurate ballstrikers. Hartlage logged 11 birdies over the course of 54 holes, including all three trips through the par-5 closing hole. With each putt, Hartlage’s confidence grows.
The Orlando International Amateur title is Hartlage’s first since winning the Louisville-hosted Moon Golf Invitational in February 2019. She has had opportunities since but has struggled not to pile pressure on herself. She was successful on that front Sunday.
Hartlage has made three previous starts in this event. Her 6-under total this week left her four shots ahead of Sora Kamiya, a junior golfer from Japan. Hartlage outpaced her by two shots in the final round, even though Kamiya made up immediate ground at the start of the day with a birdie at No. 2.
Since the Moon Golf title, Hartlage appeared in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, scoring an invitation courtesy of her world ranking. She was selected for last month’s U.S. Curtis Cup practice session and spent a long weekend in South Florida playing four-ball and alternate-shot with fellow top-50 players. Alternate-shot represented a new type of pressure, but another opportunity to build confidence.
“Definitely being able to play in some of those top events and being able to compete with some of the best players in the world has helped a lot,” Hartlage said. “I have a few things that I might not believe in myself as much, but I know that I’m just as good as the rest of them.”
Hartlage made it to the first round of match play at the British Women’s Amateur at the end of a team trip to Ireland in June. She was runner-up at the Ladies National Golf Association Amateur at the end of the summer before making the second round of match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur the next week, and from the No. 3 seed.
Compare Hartlage’s current game to where she was a year ago, and she has a noticeably bigger arsenal of shots.
“I think I knew I had the talent but didn’t believe in myself,” she said of her mental growth.
The next semester will be about honing it in with her wedges from 30 to 100 yards.
“Those are your scoring clubs,” she said. “Being able to flight them depending in the wind and distance control is really important and that’s the one thing I’ll be working on the most.”
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