The ANA Junior Inspiration and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) announced Lauryn Nguyen of Seattle, who is a junior at West Seattle High School, as the 2020 Seattle Gateway City Qualifier for this year’s ANA Junior Inspiration. In Nguyen’s honor, ANA’s Gateway City Grant has donated $5,000 to The First Tee of Greater Seattle. This will be Nguyen’s first year competing in the ANA Junior Inspiration.
Nguyen, along with 47 other young golfers, will play 36 holes on the Pete Dye Challenge Course before playing the final round on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course with LPGA past Champions. The final round will feature one LPGA past Champion paired with two juniors. Juniors will compete for an overall stroke-play title while the 24 LPGA past Champions battle in a best-ball format.
The first major of the golf season hosts the ANA Junior Inspiration offering 48 of the top junior golfers from around the world a chance to compete for a dream ticket to play in the ANA Inspiration against the top LPGA Tour players. The 54-hole junior tournament will provide the winner an amateur exemption into the ANA Inspiration. The junior event will be hosted the week before the ANA Inspiration from March 26-29, 2020, at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Top qualifiers, including Nguyen, from ANA’s 11 North American Gateway Cities of Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Vancouver and Washington DC will compete alongside girls from around the world who earned entry through ANA Priority Mileage Points Standings and the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Each Gateway City Qualifier chose a state or local golf association to receive a Gateway City Grant on behalf of ANA. Since the event’s launch in 2017, a total of $220,000 in ANA Gateway City Grants has funded 25 state and local golf organizations to help inspire young golfers and support the growth of the game.
“I’m choosing The First Tee of Greater Seattle because I have been a junior coach with the First Tee and I cherish the moments that I share with the girls that I mentor,” said Lauryn Nguyen.
The ANA Junior Inspiration is the only event of its kind in the world of junior golf and was created to help young careers take off and reach new heights.
“Inspiring the next generation of professional golfers and leaders is our focus around the ANA Junior Inspiration every year,” said Shigeru Hattori, Senior Vice President of the Americas, ANA. “We’re very excited to welcome the 48 young golfers to the 2020 ANA Junior Inspiration. As the official airline of the LPGA and title sponsor of the first golf major of the year, we’re proud to be a stepping stone for what we know will be a great career for each of these girls. We hope their time in Rancho Mirage at the ANA Junior Inspiration is a fun and educational experience in which they can take learnings home with them to inspire their teammates and younger golfers who hope to one day follow in their footsteps.”
About the ANA Inspiration
The ANA Inspiration is golf’s first major and one of the LPGA Tour’s most prestigious events. Previously known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the tournament was founded in 1972 by David Foster and Dinah Shore and earned the designation as a major championship in 1983. Contested at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. since its inception, the ANA Inspiration holds the distinction of being the second oldest golf tournament continuously held at the same course. For many, the event is most distinguished by one of golf’s most beloved traditions: the champion’s leap into Poppie’s Pond, located adjacent to the 18th green. In 1988, the first champion’s leap into Poppie’s Pond was taken by Amy Alcott, and since has become one of the most anticipated and memorable traditions in golf. For more information on the ANA Inspiration, visit ANAinspiration.com or call 760-834-8872.