The running joke in the Hrynewich household is Reed was born feet first and kicked his twin sister, Hailey, out four minutes ahead of him.
But ever since, Hailey has been following in Reed’s footsteps.
Reed, who was inspired to play golf by his father, Tim, a former professional hockey player who played 55 games for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins (six goals and eight assists), took up the game first. Hailey later tagged along and discovered the same passion.
Now, the 20-year-old Muskegon, Mich., natives are making some USGA history as they are believed to be the first brother-sister twins to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Amateur in the same year.
Again, it was Reed who beat Hailey to the punch.
“He qualified for [the U.S. Amateur first] and then I had mine,” said Hailey, who opened stroke play on Monday at Portland Golf Club with a 5-over 77.
This week is Hailey’s first USGA championship. Reed will play in his second U.S. Amateur and fourth USGA championship next week at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Hailey of making history.
Both Hrynewich twins play college golf; Reed is a junior at the University of Michigan and Hailey is entering her junior year at Ohio University. Like his father, Reed played ice hockey for a long time before realizing that his height (5-foot-10) was going to hinder his chances of competing at the highest levels.
“My brother gets his determination and athleticism from my dad,” said Hailey, “and I just kind of just followed after him.”
While Hailey is competing in her first USGA championship this week, someday she might be broadcasting one. A broadcast journalism major, Hrynewich has aspirations of being a network sports broadcaster. Ohio University has produced several notable journalists, including Matt Lauer, host of The Today Show on NBC, as well as longtime Sports Illustrated writer Peter King and CBS Sports’ Allie LaForce.
Hrynewich currently is gaining valuable experience on the school’s TV station, reporting on men’s hockey as well as regional high school football games. When most of her friends are socializing on Friday nights, Hrynewich is at a stadium reporting on games. The station covers 40-50 high schools in a three-hour radius from the Athens campus.
If Hrynewich misses match play at Portland Golf Club, she at least hopes to meet some of the on-air talent from Fox Sports 1, which begins broadcasting the Women’s Amateur on Wednesday. Holly Sonders, an Ohio native who is here to work the telecast, is someone Hrynewich admires.
“I loved her work on Golf Channel,” said Hrynewich. “This is what I want do. Maybe I’ll be up in that [tower] up there [someday].”
David Shefter is a senior staff writer for the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.
