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A former collegiate lacrosse star, Kyle Fraser has set her sights on the LPGA Tour. While she pursues her goal, the Fort Worth resident uses TGA and USGA Women’s Championships to hone her game and prepare for the rigors of Qualifying School.
“The biggest thing I’m lacking is competition experience because I didn’t play in college,” said Fraser, who while playing attack for Stanford Lacrosse from 2012-15 scored 92 goals in 73 career games. “I’ve decided to stay an amateur as long as possible to get as much tournament experience as I can.”
Fraser graduated from Stanford four years ago with a degree in Biomechanical Engineering. She spent a year in the corporate world before she realized something was missing in her life.
“My competitive juices weren’t gone,” said Fraser, a three-time Academic All-American who once scored a record six goals in a single lacrosse game. “I knew I needed to find an outlet for my passion for competitive sports.”
Enter amateur golf – for real this time.
Originally from Connecticut, Fraser grew up across the street from a golf course. Her father was a passionate golfer, but those vibes for the game didn’t rub off on Fraser.
“The most number of holes I played was like three,” Fraser laughed while recalling her childhood. “I was not good at all. The first hole was a par 5, and I remember making a score in the 20s on it.”
Even so, she followed her dad and brothers when they went to hit balls. But Fraser’s mind was still fixed on her love for lacrosse. She moved to Fort Worth in the summer of 2006 to attend Fort Worth Country Day School. That school didn’t have a girls’ lacrosse team, so she played for Trinity High School in Euless instead and went on to become a top national lacrosse prospect.
The high school golf coach approached Fraser and some of her field hockey teammates and asked them to join the golf team.
“They needed people and they knew we were athletes,” Fraser said.
She also swam on the varsity swim team and played field hockey. She earned 16 varsity letters at Trinity, but Fraser made it clear to all the coaches that lacrosse was her first priority. She practiced golf when she could and played in the team tournaments. Lacrosse was still her first love at this time, but golf quickly moved up the charts. Although she went to Stanford to play lacrosse, she knew in the back of her mind she’d return to golf after graduation.
“I love the fact that golf requires creativity, especially when you are not in the most prime spots on the course,” she said. “I get the greatest thrill when I pull off shots that seem impossible.” – Kyle Fraser
She had a plan, and she stuck to it.
“I’m going to work for a year after graduation and figure things out,” Fraser said she told herself. “Then I’ll see.”
Once out in the working world after college, a lightbulb went off in Fraser’s head during a meeting with her boss. When faced with the “Where do you see yourself in five years?” question, she mentioned her passion for golf and desire to one day try to become a professional tour player. Her boss’ reaction wasn’t exactly what she expected.
“Do it,” he replied.
Since then, she has taken a step back from work to recommit herself to competitive golf. She still works part-time, but her main focus is on training and improving her golf game. Her first big tournament was the 2017 Southern California Golf Association’s Net Amateur Championship, a co-ed event.
Fraser won it.
“I was the only female to qualify for the tournament,” she said.
Last summer at the 97th Women’s Texas Amateur Championship, Fraser was one of 32 players to advance to the Championship Match Play bracket at famed San Antonio Country Club. After suffering a double-bogey on her penultimate hole, she had to bury a slippery 4-footer for par on the 18th hole to make the cut on the number.
The next morning, Fraser suffered a 3-and-2 defeat in the first round to Austin’s Sadie Englemann, one the best young players in Texas. Englemann, a senior at Westlake High School, is an AJGA Rolex All-American and the 226th-ranked female amateur in the world.
“Sadie is a great player,” Fraser said. “On the first tee, I was so nervous. I couldn’t put the tee in the ground. It’s an amateur event, but there was such great competition that it gave me the experience I need. I need to feel the pressure, the nerves.”
With the LPGA Tour squarely in her sights, Fraser plans to play in as many elite amateur events as possible during the next couple of years. Her preparation took a hit late last summer when she tore her ACL in her right knee while playing in a pickup lacrosse game. The injury occurred just 10 days before her first start at LPGA Q-School. She had surgery in September and spent the winter rehabbing.
Fraser’s first event post-surgery was a USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball qualifier with friend and TGA Women’s Championship veteran Camry Tardy in Baton Rouge, La. They failed to qualify, but the taste of competition once again energized Fraser to work even harder. She also played as an amateur in March at a Women’s All Pro Tour event in Alexandria, La., and scored her second career hole-in-one.
This summer, among other high-profile events, Fraser plans to play in a U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur qualifier, the 98th Women’s Texas Amateur at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, the LAGA Challenge Cup and a Father-Daughter tournament in Ireland. Then, this fall, she’ll head to Q-School.
“I love the fact that golf requires creativity, especially when you are not in the most prime spots on the course,” she said. “I get the greatest thrill when I pull off shots that seem impossible.”
While her goal to play on the LPGA Tour is among the loftiest in golf, she believes all golfers her age should make the game a part of their lives.
“You create memories on the golf course,” Fraser said. “It creates really fun situations and entertaining times.”
Playing professional golf or winning amateur championships isn’t everyone’s ultimate ambition, of course. But those aren’t the only reasons to fit competitive golf into a busy schedule. Sometimes the greatest joy of playing in a tournament lies in the memories you make and the people you meet.
It can understandably be difficult to balance work and golf, but the reward of finding time to squeeze golf back into the hustle and bustle of professional life is well worth the time and effort. From making new friends and playing great new courses to reigniting a love for the game, competitive golf helps add a positive element to anyone’s life. And like Fraser says, it’s not all about winning these tournaments.
“You’d be surprised how easy it is to have fun when you just go out to have a good time and relax,” she said.
As hard as she grinds toward her goals, Fraser doesn’t lose sight of the fact that at its core, golf is supposed to be enjoyable. Though most people can’t commit the same amount of time to playing and practicing, even teeing it up in one or two tournaments a year can provide the gratification that only golf offers. Even if work has to be priority number one, golf shouldn’t be forgotten.
That’s especially true for golfers who played in high school or college but strayed away from the game to begin their careers and families.
“Just remember that this was a sport that you loved for so many years,” Fraser said.
