Hollenbaugh helping New Albany girls golf program to success while taking her game to next level
NEW ALBANY, Ohio (BVM) — Over the last three years, the New Albany High School girls golf program has been flat out dominant, winning three consecutive team state titles. A large part of that has been thanks to junior Kary Hollenbaugh, who continues to shine personally as well.
Hollenbaugh has been around golf her entire life, as her dad is the Director of Golf at New Albany Country Club. However, she didn’t start taking a serious interest in the sport until age 12, primarily playing tennis during her youth.
The 16-year-old has stuck with tennis throughout her high school tenure as well, leaving her to compete in two sports during the fall.
But golf has quickly grown on the New Albany junior, in large part thanks to her dad and grandpa.
“My dad worked at Scioto Country Club as a caddie at the young age of 12,” Hollenbaugh said. “He won ‘Caddie of the Year’ one year and with that came a set of clubs. He began practicing and developed a love for the game. My grandpa also loves the game and had me out playing with him as early as 5 years old. I am not sure if anyone loves the game more than my dad and my grandpa and that love has been contagious.”
Hollenbaugh’s competitive career on the links began on the U.S. Kids Golf Tour. Playing locally, Hollenbaugh met lifelong friends early on in her youth career. But she also realized an instant talent for golf, placing second in the first tournament she ever competed in.
Her impressive first-tournament finish was just the start, however. Hollenbaugh soon went on to play on the GolfWeek Junior Tour, where she has racked up numerous achievements including shooting her first sub-70 round, and becoming the youngest player to make the tour’s hall of fame.
The standout golfer has also placed in the top-five in 19 of the 22 tournaments she has competed in, and has totaled seven victories on the tour. In the 2019-20 season, Hollenbaugh was named the tour’s player of the year.
“I have been playing on the GolfWeek Junior Tour since I was 12,” Hollenbaugh noted. “It’s a great run tour and a great next step after playing U.S. Kids. The GolfWeek Tour has been very supportive of me and my game and they are encouraging whether you have a good or bad tournament. It’s a competitive and yet relaxed atmosphere and that really helps in allowing you to grow your game.”
Hollenbaugh has also competed against some of the top competition in the nation recently during her time with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) as well as the United States Golf Association (USGA).
This past year, Hollenbaugh earned three top-10 finishes in AJGA events, giving her invaluable experience as she continues her competitive golf career.
“Playing against some of the top competition requires you to take your game to another level but with that comes a new pressure,” Hollenbaugh explained. “It has been another part of the learning process. With the game of golf you have to be open to constantly learning and growing.”
But perhaps the best accomplishment so far in her young golf career has been qualifying for three USGA events: the U.S. Girls’ Junior, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and perhaps most impressively, the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Despite not playing quite as well as she might have wanted to, the USGA tournaments have provided a new level of excitement and satisfaction for Hollenbaugh.
“Qualifying for the three USGA events in one year has been the highlight of my golf career,” Hollenbaugh said. “The environment at both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur was incredible and I will never forget the experiences. I have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed, but in a very good way.”
Although the USGA events may be Hollenbaugh’s most cherished memories on the links, what she and her team have accomplished over the last few years at New Albany High School is not far behind. During her freshman year, Hollenbaugh admits that she might not have realized just how good she and her team really played.
“As a freshman, I was so excited to play on such an incredible team that I think I was truly unaware of what we were accomplishing,” Hollenbaugh noted. “I was just enjoying the ride.”
The Eagles would go on to win a team state title, while Hollenbaugh herself would finish inside the top-10 in the individual portion of the state tournament.
“Winning that first team state title was amazing and doing it with my dearest friends was even more amazing,” Hollenbaugh added. “Making the top-10 individually was a bonus.”
Coming off the state tournament victory in which they broke a state scoring record, the New Albany girls came into the 2019 season looking to repeat. Hollenbaugh’s consistent play would actually vault her into the team’s No. 1 spot going into the state tournament, something which brought added pressure, but that she also relished en route to a fifth-place individual finish.
The Eagles would indeed break their scoring record from the previous season while bringing home another state title, in large part thanks to Hollenbaugh’s teammate, Anna Ritter, who took home the first individual state championship in the history of New Albany’s girls golf program.
“We had a lot to celebrate with an individual champion, setting scoring records and three top-10 finishes,” Hollenbaugh noted.
With an abbreviated summer schedule due to the pandemic, Hollenbaugh and her teammates were eager and ready for the 2020 fall golf season. Going into the year, the junior admits there was a bit of pressure felt amongst the team.
“I think this was the year we felt the most pressure as a team and individually,” Hollenbaugh said. “We had the three-peat at the forefront but I think all of us had the individual title in the back of our minds. Anna Ritter having won it the year before suddenly made it tangible for all of us. We felt it but we really came together as a team and all contributed to bring home a third title.”
Hollenbaugh would again have a teammate win an individual state title, as this time Madison Spiess took home the top spot. But Hollenbaugh would also make plenty of noise throughout the season, highlighted by a course record and program record low-round of 63 at the Lady Lion Invitational.
“Shooting a 63 at the Lady Lion Invitational was thrilling,” the golfer said. “I am constantly striving for all the components of the game to work together in a single round and that is what happened for me that day. I am humbled to hold the program record for the lowest round.”
Winning three consecutive team state championships has been special for Hollenbaugh. She hopes she can contribute to a fourth state title next fall, while capping off her legacy at New Albany.
“Winning three straight titles has been extremely special,” Hollenbaugh said. “I feel so lucky to be a part of such an incredible legacy. My goal for next season is to continue to get better and to contribute to our teams efforts in bringing home that fourth state title. I also want to set more records, but the legacy I hope to leave is that not only did I play great golf, but that I was a great and encouraging teammate.”
Both Hollenbaugh’s individual success and New Albany’s success as a whole can in large part be credited to girls golf head coach, Rich Ritter, who has received high praise from Hollenbaugh and her teammates.
“I am not sure people realize how great of a coach he is,” Hollenbaugh said about coach Ritter. “He has been with most of us since the U.S. Kids Golf Tour so it is no surprise that we want to win for him as much as we want to win for ourselves. The time he dedicates to the building and success of our team is unmatched. It is great to play with a team that not only supports you but understands you as a person and a golfer.”
While her senior season at New Albany is the first task at hand, it is no secret that Hollenbaugh has a legitimate golf future beyond high school. Although she hasn’t officially committed anywhere yet with some of the difficulties of the recruiting process brought on by the pandemic, Hollenbaugh aims to play Division I college golf.
“I hope to play Division I golf,” she said. “I am ready to commit and looking for the right fit. After winning the first high school team state title, I knew I wanted that experience again and again, and I began to think about that feeling ending after four years. So, I proclaimed as a freshman that after high school I wanted to play college golf and win an NCAA National Championship.”
Recently, thoughts of a professional golf future have also come up for Hollenbaugh. No matter where her future career on the links takes her, she will always continue to play the sport she has grown a deep love for.
“In the past year or so, playing professional golf has become a possible ambition,” Hollenbaugh said. “I know that is a difficult road and great improvements to my game will have to come, but I believe it is possible with a lot of hard work. Golf is in my blood and I love competition so I know it will be a part of my life forever.”
