We’ve been following the golf career of Maddie McCrary for about a year now—back when the idea of her playing on the LPGA Tour was only a dream. We originally noticed McCrary when she qualified, as an amateur, for the Volunteers of America® LPGA Texas Classic (formerly known as the Texas Shootout) in 2017. At the time, she was a student at Oklahoma State University—a golf standout who had been working with instructor Rick Woodson, Jr. since she was six years old. Her work ethic, her sheer fervor for the game, and the support of both coach and her non-golfing, totally down-to-earth parents made this Wylie, Texas native stand out.
She’s a hard kid not to love.
One year later, 22-year-old McCrary is a bona fide professional golfer, with conditional status on the LPGA Tour and full exemption on the Symetra Tour.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – DECEMBER 04: Maddie McCrary of the United States poses for a portrait during LPGA Rookie Orientation at LPGA Headquarters on December 4, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
In her first LPGA event, she missed the cut.
Today, with Woodson on her bag and a throng of friends and family following, McCrary did something pretty incredible: she finished tied for 32nd, well in the money, in her second-ever LPGA tournament. Her growth, in just one year, has been nothing short of phenomenal in a profession where talent is hardly at a premium.
We’ll be following McCrary’s career, her continued work with Woodson, and her experience as a Tour rookie in the year to come.
Our advice to you? Remember her name.
Maddie McCrary is both a contender and as likable as she is fierce on the golf course. And doesn’t the sports world need more people like that in the winner’s circle?
We think so.
Stay tuned. Her story is just beginning.
