Lemont Golfer Competes For Spot In LGPA's First Major

LEMONT, IL – A golfer from Lemont has been chosen as the Chicago Gateway City Qualifier by the ANA Junior Inspiration. Lauren Beaudreau will compete in California on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course, according to a release. The Gateway City Grant has also donated $5,000 to the Illinois Junior Golf Association in her honor.

The organization said during the final round, each pairings group will feature one LPGA legend and two juniors. Juniors will compete for the stroke-play title and participate in a fun competition among pairings groups in a best-ball format with the legends.

Beaudreau, and 47 other top junior girls in the world earned entry into the invitational. According to a release, Beaudreau qualified through the “ANA Priority Mileage” point system, which is based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings, with 11 spots given to the top qualifiers in ANA’s gateway cities of Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Vancouver and Washington D.C.

Beaudreau, a junior at Benet Academy, is No. 76 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and will be making her first appearance at the ANA Junior Inspiration. According to a release, Beaudreau has two AJGA wins and is verbally committed to the University of Notre Dame.

“Seven years ago I played in my first golf tournament and fortunately for me it was with the IJGA,” Beaudreau said in a release. “I had no idea what to expect and had the IJGA not done such an outstanding job, I may not be playing competitive golf today. Over the years, I continued to play in numerous IJGA events and had nothing but great experiences. The IJGA has always treated me like family and has gone out of its way to offer a word of encouragement along the way. The IJGA was my introduction to golf and has given me so many memories that I will cherish forever.”

The organization said after qualifying as a representative of one of ANA’s gateway cities, each Gateway City Qualifier chose a golf association in their Gateway City to receive a $5,000 grant from the ANA Junior Inspiration. Beaudreau chose to give the Gateway City Grant to the golf association that helped her grow into the golfer she is today, the IJGA.

“This contribution from ANA and the AJGA means a great deal to the Illinois Junior Golf Association,” said IJGA Executive Director Jordan Abdel-Haq in a release. “Grants of this amount are very rare for our association and they are so impactful in helping us achieve our mission of ‘Better People through Junior Golf.’"

Abdel-Haq also thanked Beaudreau for selecting the IJGA as her designated beneficiary.

"She has always been well respected by not only our entire staff, but her peers and fellow competitors as well. Lauren is a phenomenal young woman that we are excited to watch as she transitions to the next level.”

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