Every player has their own story about making it to the LPGA Tour. However, once you make it, your job is not secure. That is the reality for anyone who finishes the season outside the top 100 on the Points List. If you do not grab one of those coveted top-100 spots, or you do not win an LPGA Tour event, you are headed back to LPGA Q-Series to prove you belong.
Maddie McCrary learned this the hard way, grabbing an LPGA Tour spot in 2019 and playing 13 events before losing her status for the 2020 season. Like most athletes on the Epson Tour, McCrary dreamed of playing professional golf for as long as she could remember.
“My parents put me in a camp when I was five; when I got older, I had to decide between other sports and golf. I obviously chose golf, but I chose it for the individuality of the game, and I can do my own thing,” said McCrary. “Going into college golf, I knew I wanted to play professionally, but that transition from college golf to professional golf is like a slap in the face almost. In college golf, everything is planned out for you, but once you hit professional golf, everything is different. You have to do all your own planning, get adjusted to everything, and then you are playing the best women golfers in the world. It was all just a whirlwind.”
The former Oklahoma State University Cowgirl had to wait an extra year for her chance to get back on the LPGA Tour because of COVID-19 in 2020. When it was finally time to get back to the course, McCrary had a setback – injuries.
“I knew what injury was like because I have had two hip surgeries when I was younger, but I didn’t know what it was like when an injury took away from my profession,” explained McCrary. “I hurt my wrist in college, but I did not know what happened exactly. It started to affect my mental game more so than my physical when I turned professional. Then I got surgery last year and took some time off.”
During her time away from the game, McCrary took up substitute teaching, advice from her parents, who are both elementary school teachers. The time away allowed the Texas native to grow patience and strength in her game and herself.
“I feel like I have overcome so much, and it has given me a lot more courage,” said McCrary. “Knowing what I have gone through in the back of my mind, I really don’t have anything to lose at this point. It has been comforting in a sense, rather than diminishing.”
The first couple of events for McCrary were to “knock the rust off” after not playing competitive golf for a year and a half. After missing the cut in her first event, McCrary made back-to-back cuts, one of which was a top-20 finish. The former LPGA Tour member knows it will take a lot of work to return to where she once was, but she is ready for the challenge.
“Getting back into playing professionally has been so much fun,” said McCrary, “I am really just grateful for the opportunity to be out here competing.”
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