Four Tennessee Tech golfers among the Upper Cumberland participants in the Tennessee Women’s Open this weekend at Cumberland County’s Stonehenge Golf Club.
Golden Eagle golfer Kailey Lane said the tournament serves as a valuable opportunity to gauge her skills against a diverse field of competitors from across the country. Lane said the event allows her to transition from summer practice into a high-stakes environment before the school year begins.
“I think we should play pretty well, actually,” Lane said. “I mean, the field is really good, but because we know the course and we play it for qualifying rounds occasionally, I think that will help us a lot.”
Lane said she has spent the summer months refining her swing mechanics and returning to the basics of her game. Lane said her goals for the weekend include making the Friday cut and securing a top-20 finish.
“I feel great about my swing,” Lane said. “I’ve put in a lot of work over the summer, just getting back to the basics, just almost doing a little swing recheck, changing a couple of different things.”
Lane said Stonehenge presents specific challenges, including narrow fairways and significant elevation changes. Lane said the thick rough makes it difficult to control the ball when approaching the greens.
“I focus on my breathing a lot, and I have to make sure that I’m staying in the moment and not getting ahead of myself,” Lane said. “I’m really bad about looking too far forward in advance. So just keeping my focus on the shot that I’m doing.”
Senior Lexus Julian said the tournament field features a high level of talent, including SEC and LGPA players. Julian finished No. 18 during last year’s event and aims to break into the top ten this year.
Julian said the presence of professional players who compete on the Epson Tour or are working through qualifying schools adds to the prestige of the event. Julian said having several teammates in the field helps establish the team culture and sets the vibe for the upcoming year.
“The coaches probably think very similar about the event as we do,” Julian said. “If we can go out there and play well against some of the girls that we’re going to see at some college events or that play at the SEC schools that we might not necessarily see them, but we see ourselves, you know, shoot around the same scores and stuff, that’s kind of just a confidence booster for us going into our season.”
Incoming Tusculum transfer Maylei Hildenbrand said she is using the tournament to sharpen her competitive mindset after spending much of the summer working two jobs.
“I just want to put myself under that pressure and learn how to control my emotions and my nerves and everything and just try to go out there and play free, just like I always do, even though I play every day,” Hildenbrand said. “I mean, tournament rounds are always way different than your casual ones.”
Hildenbrand said her strategy for the challenging course is playing smart off the tee and occasionally using shorter clubs to avoid missing the fairway. Hildenbrand said she expects to make the cut and hopes to post scores in the low 70s.
“It’s always super fun and I hope to have this one to come back to every year to prepare for my fall season,” Hildenbrand said.
Lane said the growth of the women’s game has created a highly competitive atmosphere that she finds encouraging. Lane said the team will represent Tech together while supporting each other throughout the rounds.
“I think especially during the practice round, I’m comfortable with them,” Lane said. “And so just being able to bounce ideas off of each other and bring into the fact that, ‘Oh, you don’t want to miss in this certain spot on the course, where this spot is a great spot to be in.'”
Rising senior Lydia Baker will also be representing the Golden Eagles this weekend.
Lane said the team plans to maintain that supportive environment, helped by a potential taco dinner after a long day of work.
