Molly Hardwick goes wire-to-wire at Tennessee Women's Amateur

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Thankfully, Molly Hardwick had not made any prior commitments for the first week of August. Regardless of what previous plans she might have tentatively penciled on her calendar, everything quickly changed for the Franklin resident Thursday afternoon at Brentwood Country Club.

Buoyed by a momentum-grabbing eagle on the 13th hole, Hardwick shot a final round 3-under 68 to capture the 94th Tennessee Women’s Amateur Championship by three shots with a final score of 4 under. The victory also gives her an exemption into the U.S Women’s Amateur that will be hosted at The Honors Course in Ooltewah from August 4-9.

“I have never been to The Honors Course,” Hardwick said. “It’s amazing that I will get to play in such a big event held in Tennessee just a couple of hours down the road. I feel like women’s golf in Tennessee is thriving, and there's so many of us who love to play this game that I will be representing.”

After finishing in a tie for 14th two years ago and earning a 7th place tie at last year’s Women’s Amateur, Hardwick was elated to break through to earn a victory.

“This is the top win for me for sure,” Hardwick said. “I think getting to win your state amateur championship is something that I always think about because of the history of the tournament. I mean, they've got the big board over there listing the champions, and it goes back to the early 1900s. Just to have my name on that list, too, is such a cool thing for me.”

Hardwick spent all day Thursday in a duel with Jackson’s Tori Robinson, who finished runner-up at 1-under. Ironically, the duo will be teammates this fall at College of Charleston as Robinson begins her collegiate journey and Hardwick will return for her fifth year after winning CAA Golfer of the Year honors this spring.

Robinson made a clutch birdie at No. 15 to pull even with Hardwick at 3-under. But two holes later, one errant swing from Robinson flipped the advantage to Hardwick. Robinson’s approach found the hazard to the right of the green on 17, eventually walking away with a double bogey. Meanwhile, Hardwick rolled home a birdie after delivering a dart to five feet, giving her a three-shot lead heading into the final hole.

“Tori is a great player, and just such a great person,” Hardwick said. “Honestly, it was just fun to get to play with her because we'd never played together in a tournament before. I’m really proud of her and so excited for her to come and be a part of the team in Charleston. She's gonna be such a great addition to our team.”

Entering the day one shot off Hardwick’s lead, Robinson rode two early birdies to take a two-shot lead after only four holes. Hardwick pulled even with a birdie at 7 when Robinson made a bogey after hitting her tee shot out of bounds, but Robinson promptly responded with a birdie at 8 to move back in front by one at 2 under.

The margin remained the same when the golfers approached the par 5 13th, where Hardwick delivered a critical shot to change her fortunes. The diminutive golfer blasted a 3-wood from the fairway to six feet, then calmly stroked home an eagle putt to regain the lead.

“It was 267 to the pin, and like 235 to the front of the green,” Hardwick said. “It landed just short of the green, bounced up and rolled all the way back to the pin. In the moment I didn't feel how big it was, but in hindsight I realized that was a big deal at a very stressful time of the tournament.”

Hardwick’s accomplishment was made even sweeter given the fact her father, Jay, served as her caddie this week.

“It's great to have someone on the bag who knows me really well,” Hardwick said. “Obviously he knows my game, and he’s knowledgeable about golf, too. I can just kind of be honest with him and work through the anxiety, nerves or tension. It's always so much fun when he gets to be on the bag.”

Robinson carded five birdies on her round to shoot 70, finishing four shots clear of defending champion Isabella Johnson of Murfreesboro, who placed third at 3 over while posting an even par 71 in the final round.

Sloane Biddle of Old Hickory tied for fourth at 5 over after shooting a tournament-best 67 on Thursday that featured four birdies to go with 14 pars. Joining Biddle was Karlie Campbell of Ethridge, who closed with a 73.

Chattanooga’s Cora Mount placed sixth at 6 over, followed by Sophie Linder of Carthage in seventh at 8 over and Camille Barnette in eighth place at 9 over. Brentwood’s Hayden Cherry and Signal Mountain’s May May McGee tied for ninth with 10-over totals.

After a stellar high school career in South Carolina where she won an individual title and led her team to five state championships as well as advancing to match play in the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, Hardwick was thrilled to see her continued development come to fruition this week.

“Obviously I've been getting a lot better with the technical parts of my game and my mechanics, but improving with the mental side has been the biggest thing,” Hardwick said. “I’m learning how to stay in the moment, learning how to keep believing that I can bounce back even when I hit a bad shot or have a bad hole or even have a bad round. I think that's been the biggest thing that when it feels like things are like getting a little bit out of my control, I can get it back under control easily.”

Hardwick displayed that newfound confidence in full measure this week in winning the Tennessee State Amateur, owning at least a share of the lead each round. Now, she gets to carry that momentum a couple of hours down the road to The Honors Course next month on an even bigger stage.

For complete results, click 94th Tennessee Women's Amateur.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com.

This story was originally published in The Chattanoogan.