It was only a matter of time before Northwestern alumna Lauryn Nguyen made her mark as a professional golfer, this time at the 2026 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. From leading the Wildcats to an NCAA Championship two years ago, and defeating golf powerhouse Stanford at that, and graduating as the most decorated golfer in school history, the world was Nguyen’s for the taking as she turned pro this season.
Six months after making her LPGA Tour debut as a sponsor’s invite to The ANNIKA presented by Gainbridge, a hallmark accomplishment all on its own that included playing alongside Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in the pro-am, Nguyen has solidified her first career victory as a professional golfer.
Nguyen came into the final round at the Medalist Golf Club in central Michigan on Sunday with a surmountable lead. Fellow rookie Kaleiya Romero headed into the back nine just two strokes back, the closest anyone would get to Nguyen all day. The momentum following her 6-under round of 66 on Saturday primed the former Wildcat, who tacked on a double bogey Sunday at No. 6 and bogeys on Nos. 10 and 12. However, her four birdies on the front nine and two on the back pushed Nguyen into the clubhouse with 12-under on the weekend, clinching the victory with a three-stroke lead.
Jenny Coleman finished in solo second at 9-under, while Malaysia’s Mirabel Ting, America’s Rylee Suttor and China’s Xiaowen Yin rounded out the top six.
Suttor, who finished T4 alongside Yin, was one of the 32 rookies in the field this week as the Epson Tour kicked off the Michigan Swing. Her best finish in her career so far means more to Suttor than just a number, especially considering she was a sponsor invite at the Orlando Health Championship a couple months ago.
“It feels like I’m finally getting my feet under me,” Suttor said. “It was kind of a shock at first, just realizing that I could play on tour. So now that I have had a good couple rounds under me, I feel I’m becoming who I am as a golfer.”
Romero came off a bogey-free 67 from Moving Day in hopes of her first career victory. With birdies on No. 2, 4 and 8, the Oregon graduate struggled to maintain a competitive position atop the leaderboard following two doubles and three bogeys in the afternoon. Despite the scorecard, the rookie finished T11 on the weekend, propelling herself into No. 17 on the Race for the Card Points List.
Amari Avery still remains in the top spot in the Race for the Card despite a T34 finish at even par. Following success during the West Coast Swing a few weeks ago, including her first win and solo second in consecutive events, Avery has yet to miss a cut this season and keeps a steady lead in the points list.
As for local alumni, only one finished at par or better, with former University of Michigan golfer Monet Chun placing T34 at even par (74-71-71). The only other Wolverine to make the cut was Hailey Borja, who racked up a T47 at 2-over. Ashley Lau, along with former Spartan golfers Brooke Biermann and Yurika Tanida, missed the cut. As for the green and white, Colombian golfer Valery Plata placed T42, finishing the first of the three Michigan events at 1-over.
