If Maisie Filler doesn’t have a golf club in her hand, she’s probably opening her Kindle to access her latest book.
“I love to read, especially in my down time,” she said. “I’m very much into the crime mystery genre. I like good authors who make it difficult for you to guess [who did it]. You have to try to figure it out.”
Pair that quest with golf and it’s an appropriate match for Filler, 23, a member of the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour and the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour.
Earlier this month Filler, a member of Hartford Golf Club, surveyed the location of her drive at the par-5 16th hole during the final round of the Connecticut Women’s Open at her home club. A sidehill lie near the base of a thick tree trunk, an altered swing and a tree-root risk near her ball led to the decision not to try to reach the green in two.
She had figured it out.
Seconds after her precise iron strike, she and her father, Andy – her caddie for the tournament – strode in lockstep down the middle of the fairway to watch the ball’s desired draw flight. A wedge and two putts followed for par.
Such decisions, along with other impressive shots and sound course management, gave Filler the lowest score, 2-under-par 69, of the round and a third-place overall finish.
“I wasn’t pleased with how I had started the tournament [with a 73], but I was happy with how I bounced back,” said Filler, the 2024 Connecticut Women’s Amateur champion.
Determination and adaptability are two mainstays in her game, which was nurtured and encouraged by her father, mother Jennifer and older sisters Natalie and Emma.
Filler started to take golf seriously when she was about 12 and played in many junior events. The family moved from Bloomfield, Connecticut, to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, prior to her attending Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach.
“Moving was beneficial because I could play year-round,” Filler said. “On a competitive level, I wanted to make up some ground. I was grateful I could practice and play and not be limited [by winter weather in Connecticut] of working only in a simulator.”
“The biggest adjustment I had to make in college was qualifying for each tournament. I had to prove myself right away. I worked very hard and am proud of that and with so much support from my teammates and coaches.”
Maisie Filler
Filler advanced to the University of Florida. Some of her accomplishments on an accolade-laden résumé were: three-time all-Southeastern Conference (including first team her senior season); four-time SEC golfer of the week; holder of second-lowest round in program history (8-under 64) in the 2023 Tar Heel Invitational; two-time Augusta National Women’s Amateur participant; only the second player in Florida history to be named to Team USA for the Arnold Palmer Cup; and a second-team Women’s Golf Coaches Association All American her senior season.
During her career, reading a book, of course, often was as beneficial to her game as correctly reading a putt.
Such issues as expectations, frustrations and anxiety can impact anyone during times away from golf. A good read was beneficial to Filler in reducing golf's stresses and improving her golf focus.
There were so many books of varying age, style and subjects to choose from. “Book choices change over time,” said Filler. “That’s what’s great. Now, it could be self-help books and fun-crime novels.”
When her Kindle was shut down in college, her intention of figuring it out on the course stepped up.
“The biggest adjustment I had to make in college was qualifying for each tournament,” she said. “I had to prove myself right away. I worked very hard and am proud of that and with so much support from my teammates and coaches.”
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science last year, Filler turned pro. Her best finish in six NXXT events in 2024-25 was a tie for second in the Women’s Pro Golf Tour Qualifier at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her top finish in her first five events this season on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour was a tie for third in the FCA Women’s Championship.
Filler works on the practice range, but does not reside there. “Sometimes it’s warranted, especially if something needs to be fixed,” she said. “But to be out there endlessly? That’s not me. It’s important to be on the course, learning and hitting shots and seeing what the competition is doing. Each shot you adapt and make the best out of it. Every day it’s different. So, when it’s time to play, you figure it out and play.”
Filler did that well in March in the NXXT Women’s Pro Golf Tour qualifier by winning a second-place playoff to earn an exemption into the Epson Tour IOA Championship, presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa, where she missed the cut.
Filler, who competed in the St. Louis Women’s Championship on the Annika tour last week, is scheduled to play in its next event this week, the Children’s Hospital of Illinois Championship.
Her next Epson event, via a sponsor exemption, is the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Connecticut, July 10-13. The Epson Tour is the official developmental tour of the LPGA, a desired destination for Filler.
She plans to play in a LPGA Q Series pre-qualifier Sept. 24-26 at LPGA International, the first of three competitions for players to advance toward earning Epson or LPGA cards.
“Pro golf overall is so unpredictable,” Filler said. “Still, with how I’ve done so far, it just seems like a natural progression for me. The LPGA is my goal.”
How and when she hopefully achieves that is the story she wants to write.
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Top: 2024 Connecticut Women's Amateur champion Maisie Filler is pursuing pro career.
Courtesy connecticut state golf association