By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Seattle native Lauryn Nguyen did not set expectations going into her first year playing professional golf. But after her “rookie” year, she has secured her Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) status, making the cut on the Epson Tour.
This past year, Nguyen, 23, played on the Epson Tour, which is the official qualifying tour for the LPGA. It is a developmental tour in which golfers participate in over 20 events from March to October. During the season, golfers accumulate points based on how they do during the events. At the end of the season, the top 15 finishers in the “Race for the Card” points standings earn LPGA Tour status, granting them the right to play in LPGA Tour events.
At the end of the season, Nguyen was number 13, earning her LPGA status. Finishing in spots 11-15, golfers receive “Category 16” status, plus entry into LPGA Q-Series Final Qualifying. Her current status earned on the Epson Tour limits the number of LPGA tournaments she can play, but playing in the LPGA Q-Series allows her the opportunity to improve upon it. Nguyen said it was not until the last tournament that she secured a top 15 spot on the Epson Tour.
“It would have been difficult for me to drop out of it (top 15), but it definitely wasn’t impossible.” Nguyen indicated that some were able to bump into the top 15 from having a good round in the last tournament. It also meant that some fell out of the top 15.
In order to obtain the right to play on the LPGA Tour, you must qualify via events such as the Epson Tour.
One of the biggest moments of her season was her win this past June at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship on the tour. Despite a three hour weather delay due to rain and wind, Nguyen earned her first professional victory.
“It is always surprising for a rookie to win in her first year,” she said of winning her first professional tournament. “It was super cool to be able to do it.” She indicated the stress that comes with trying to stay on top on the tour. “You have to keep playing well if you want to stay in that top 15.” The win helped propel Nguyen into the top 15 on the Epson Tour but with it being in the middle of the season, she had to keep up to stay high in the rankings. “For as good as people play, you can just drop out of it so quickly.”
The status for the LPGA tour allows her to “get a handful of starts, which will be nice,” said Nguyen.
A decorated youth golfer and West Seattle High School standout, Nguyen earned a scholarship to play at Northwestern. In her last year with the Wildcats, she helped the women golf team win the NCAA National Championship.
While the Epson Tour is all over the country, her support system remains at home.
“My whole support system is in Seattle,” explained Nguyen. “I send videos (of her golf techniques) to my coaches (in Seattle), he sends me back [with] things to fix on my swing.” Her trainer, who also is in Seattle, sends her workouts she can do while on the road. “There is a lot of calling, a lot of texting.”
Nguyen’s caddie on the Epson Tour is also her boyfriend. She noted that there is a balance between the professional and personal relationship. “I think it was a bit shaky in the beginning just because I’d have a bad round and then, the conversation was very hard when we got off the course.” Nguyen added, “And so we’ve talked about the things that we can and can’t be mad about and how we’re able to separate us off the course and us off on the course.”
In her first year playing as a pro, Nguyen talked about the transition. “You have your own freedom,” Nguyen said about the perks of professional life. “You can control your schedule, but it has its good and bad.” She notes that college was much more regimented on specific times to practice and work but now she does it on her own schedule.
“I think the hardest part is just going from an environment surrounded by a bunch of people that you’re able to do this with, you’re able to practice with the whole team, you’re able to work out with a team, so you have a lot of people to lean on, and you’re kind of going from that to doing it pretty much on your own.”
The financial aspect of being a pro is also a challenge. “I think financially…coming from college, your university pays for all your travel, they pay for all your food, they pay for all your facilities. I think everyone’s realized that once you’re on tour, it gets really expensive. Just all the airfare, gas, tournament fees, and you take that for granted in college.” Nguyen indicated that some of the costs are offset by the chance to obtain sponsors.
Nguyen’s goal is to build on her LPGA status next year and eventually secure a place on the LPGA full-time.
Her golf season will not start until early March. In the meantime, she will spend time in Seattle training and getting ready for next season.
In addition to golf, Nguyen and her brother started a nonprofit to increase accessibility to education. The nonprofit has held charity golf tournaments in the Seattle area to help those in Vietnam. The focus is to help Vietnamese high schoolers go to school in Vietnam. Nguyen’s parents were born and raised in Vietnam and left the country during the Vietnam War. Nguyen and her brother and family go back to Vietnam almost every year to visit the scholarship winners.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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