SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Lauren Hartlage might not be super familiar with being in professional golf’s limelight. But she isn’t shying away from the big moment this week at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Through three rounds at Sahalee Country Club, Hartlage is tied for second at 5-under total, two back of 54-hole leader Amy Yang at the year’s third major championship. After a ho-hum 1-over 73 start on Thursday, the 26-year-old turned up the heat on Friday and Saturday in Sammamish, Wash., making five birdies in her last seven holes in the second round to post a 3-under 69, two pairs of which came back-to-back on holes 12 and 13 as well as 15 and 16.
Moving Day saw Hartlage go bogey-free, an impressive feat at a difficult ball-striking venue like Sahalee. She made three birdies on holes 4, 11 and 16 en route to another 69, hitting 15 of 18 greens and 12 of 14 fairways, the latter of which is also a stellar accomplishment considering how narrow this venue plays off the tee.
After her strong play over the last two days, the University of Louisville alum now finds herself squarely in the mix at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with 18 holes to play. And even though this is only the third time she has been within five of the lead entering the final round since she joined the LPGA Tour in 2022, Hartlage is more than ready to contend on Sunday for her first major championship title, a lifelong goal she’s had since getting into golf in the first place.
“I'm super excited,” said Hartlage. “I’ve 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 see how it goes and learn from every day, every round.”
Hartlage hails from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, one of few LPGA Tour athletes to ever come from the Bluegrass State. And while Elizabethtown Country Club – the course at which she when she is home – bears little similarity to Sahalee with its towering evergreens and tight fairways, the tree-lined look still feels familiar to Hartlage, something that has appeared to be beneficial for her this week.
“I love tree-lined golf courses and rough. It’s what I'm used to at home,” Hartlage said of Sahalee. “Obviously, the trees are a lot bigger than in Kentucky, but I do like this style of golf course. I was excited to see how my game shaped up around here.”
Despite being quite a ways away from home in the Pacific Northwest, Hartlage does have a few people cheering her on this week at Sahalee. Her swing coach, PGA Tour winner Grant Waite, has been on-site all week, working with Hartlage on some little things in her golf swing and helping to keep her grounded when the major championship anxiety starts to creep in.
“(We have) been working on a couple of things throughout the beginning of the year. Working on those same things and getting more comfortable and being able to play with those feels has been really helpful,” Hartlage said. “Yesterday, before my round, I wasn't hitting it great on the range, and Grant was there. He's like, ‘I've seen so many people hit terrible on the range and then win the tournament.’ Little things like that, knowing how it is as a player out here. He understands what we're going through, so it's been super helpful for me, especially this week.”
Her mother Kim is also in the gallery at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, traveling as much as she can with her daughter as Hartlage competes week in and week out on the LPGA Tour. Of course, having a parent around can help an athlete both mentally and emotionally as they chase their dreams on some of the world’s biggest stages.
But Hartlage’s mom has a unique experience with the game, one that allows her to have a different perspective when it comes to her daughter’s success and helps her provide invaluable encouragement that has been critical to Lauren’s success as a professional athlete.
“She was my high school golf coach. She got me into it, so it’s great to have her out here because she understands everything that comes along with playing golf, the ups and downs,” said Hartlage. “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 just to always be there for me.”
Lauren Hartlage climbing the leaderboard with this approach 👏
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 22, 2024
She's now T2 at -5 pic.twitter.com/PYiMThiSYh
Sunday’s final round will see Hartlage contend for a major title for the very first time in her young career, a position she has yet to find herself in after competing for three years on the LPGA Tour. Even the most storied of veterans can struggle to feel like they are truly meant for the brightest spotlights in golf, and Hartlage has definitely fallen into that trap in the years since she first earned LPGA Tour status.
But Hartlage has worked hard this season on her mentality, efforts that appear to finally be paying off at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“I have been back to Q-School the last few years, so haven't been playing my best, and it's easy to think that you don't belong or you're not able to win a tournament,” Hartlage explained. “But I have people on my team helping me and leading me along the way and keeping my confidence up, which has been really, really nice to have.
“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 like, I'm going to miss the next three cuts. It's hard to not to give yourself some negative thoughts (about) your day or round if you hit some bad shots. So just staying more in the moment. Recognizing that one bad shot or tournament doesn't mean the rest of your season is going to be bad.”
No matter what happens tomorrow, Hartlage can certainly chalk this week in Washington up as a huge success, one that should serve as a confidence booster as she looks ahead to the rest of the 2024 season.
But she has still got one more opportunity to make the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship her maiden professional title, and even if the nerves start to crop up as she makes her around Sahalee tomorrow, Hartlage will take solace in the fact that she is more than good enough to contend on the LPGA Tour, a fact that has never felt truer than now for the 26-year-old.
“I don't think you're ever going to be completely comfortable out there,” said Hartlage. “It's just managing your feelings and letting yourself stay in the moment. 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.”
Vibes are high going into Champ Sunday @KPMGWomensPGA 🏆 pic.twitter.com/T3FzZ598uU
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 23, 2024
)
)
)
)
