Kary Hollenbaugh to Make LPGA Tour Regular Season Debut this week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic

By Doug Milne

 

GALLOWAY, N.J. - At just 20 years old, much of how Kary Hollenbaugh charts her course through life is of a first-time nature. This week is no exception.

 

A week removed from the U.S. Women’s Open (76-75/MC), the Ohio State University rising senior and Finance major is poised to make her (non-major) LPGA debut as a special exemption at the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer in New Jersey.   

 

Highlighted by five wins this year – four for the Buckeyes – as well as a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Women’s Championship, the two-time All-American comes into the week at Seaview No. 21 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She finished T-22 at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

 

“It's so cool just having that experience and to be able to play with the best players in the world,” Hollenbaugh said. “I'm just super excited to go out and play some golf and enjoy the experience of playing with the LPGA.”

 

While confidence is key to every step of one’s way through one’s life, the way expectations are managed differs from one person to the next.    

 

“Having confidence is key for me, the belief in myself that I belong,” she said. “I like the confidence of knowing I’m here and can compete with the best in the world. I don’t have expectations of winning right away, though. We’ll settle for making the cut first and then seeing where that can go.”

 

Hollenbaugh earned her spot into this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic by virtue of winning OSU’s Therese Hession Regional Challenge earlier this year at Palos Verdes Golf Club in California.

 

“It was super cool to realize I got an exemption into an LPGA event for winning that tournament,” she said. “It's such a great field, so it’s an honor to have won that event and be able to play here. I feel so lucky to be playing my first LPGA event.”

 

En route to winning the Therese Hession Regional Challenge, Hollenbaugh tied the tournament record as the individual winner. Even more encouraging to Kary, though, was that it was Hession’s tournament, a staple to the Ohio State golf program, as well as Kary’s life.

 

“It was so special, an honor to win her tournament” Kary said. “I was the first Buckeye to ever win the tournament, so just having my name as part of that history is special. Coach Hession has helped me a lot with my game, plus so much for the OSU program. She's been there every step of the way with all of us and even comes to watch us any chance she gets.”

 

As an integral part of her game and approach to it, Hession supports Hollenbaugh regardless of where she sticks her tee into the ground.

 

“She texts me before every tournament,” Kary said. “She tells me to play my own game and keep fighting, stay patient and just enjoy the experience.”

 

Before enjoying this week’s experience at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, another first for her has been trying to understand the experience.

 

“It was definitely a lot more than I was expecting. Everybody needs to see your credentials,” Kary laughed. “Junior tournaments don't compare to this. It was just cool seeing everybody here willing to help you. There's a lot more that goes into this, and it's nice to be able to experience an LPGA tournament before I turn pro.”

 

While Hollenbaugh continues to gain ground on a bright future, it has been her past in and around the game of golf which has provided much of the motivation.

 

“My parents weren’t sure if I was a boy or a girl, so they had several names picked out,” Kary, an only child, said. “My mom liked the name ‘Par’, but my grandparents, Kathy and Gary, didn’t like that so much. So, my mom decided to take the ‘Ka’ from Kathy and ‘ry’ from Gary. From that, it became ‘Kary’, and my mom said I could be named after Karrie Webb. My dad loved the name idea, so that’s the story on how that came about.”  

 

Kary began competing in golf tournaments at age 11, but because of her dad’s deep history with golf, she never remembers not having a club in her hand.

 

“I’ve actually played tennis my whole life, so I first thought I’d be playing tennis in college and continuing with that,” she said. “But, then golf took over early in my high school years. I just kept playing in tournaments over the summers and kept getting better.”

 

One of the most effective ways to establish confidence is by way first learning to mitigate nerves. 

 

“Nerves will always be a factor for me, this week in particular…especially when teeing it up on the first tee,” said Kary, who has her mother at her side this week. “I do know some people, so it’s nice to have familiar faces around.”

 

Last week, Hollenbaugh had the “cool” opportunity to play a practice round with Ashleigh Buhai.

 

“I saw Brooke Henderson, who was really nice and always smiled,” she said. “It was really cool to see her and others, like Allisen Corpuz and – especially – Nelly Korda up close in the actual tournament.”

 

As a way of figuring out how to get the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible, developing an overall appreciation for the game has served Hollenbaugh well, too.

 

“I've learned to love golf a lot more,” Kary explained. “The first couple tournaments I played I put so much pressure on myself. I got second in my first-ever golf tournament, so it was like those expectations have been there since that.”

 

Rather than insisting on a “W” each week, she has learned and embraced the value of working hard to try and get better each week.

 

“I think golf is the type of sport where, when I have a bad round, I always just want to play again,” she said. “I enjoy playing golf and hitting every shot so much. I keep playing and working hard at it so that I can keep playing even more golf.”

 

Golf, though, isn’t the only web Kary has weaved.

 

“I’m a really crafty person, meaning I love making crafts, like beading bracelets and knitting blankets,” she said. “When I was younger, I made slime 24-7. I just always enjoyed doing stuff with my hands. I also enjoy going for walks and riding bikes. I’m a very active person, so I want to be doing most anything that keeps me moving.”

 

And, moving in a forward direction is something Kary is doing a lot these days. She’s traded in her slime-making material for Sharpee pens.

 

“Signing autographs still feels a little weird,” she laughed. “At the U.S. Open last week, people were asking for autographs, but I don’t think they realized I was still just an amateur. It was still cool that they asked for autographs.”

 

Confidence in people manifests itself in many ways. While there needs to be a serious commitment to hard work and attitude, heart is always a key component.

 

“I love making people feel good and happy,” Kary said. “I try to be super bubbly, but I’m pretty fiery, too. So, it works in different ways, but I do love making people happy and smile. Last week, there was this one little girl who saw me and said out loud, ‘Look, there’s a golfer’. So, I went up to her and gave her a ball. She was super excited. I really enjoy doing that kind of stuff for other people.”

 

That ‘pretty fiery’ feature is equally motivating to the young lady.