Left to Right: Kylie Nguyen, Sofia Nguyen, Lily Nguyen, Tyler Johnsen, Chris Curtiss, Jennifer von Doehren, Jim von Doehren, Maya Nguyen, Lauryn Nguyen and Brianna Nguyen

The Nguyen sisterhood was formed by a little girl named Lily, participating in her first golf program with The First Tee LPGA-USGA Girls’ Golf program. There, she met a teenager named Lauryn, volunteering as a junior coach with Girls’ Golf. When Lily found out that they shared the same last name, she quickly took to Lauryn and introduced Lauryn to everyone as “Chị Lauryn.” In the Vietnamese language, “Chị” means “elder sister.”

The two L. Nguyen’s (as their names appear on the WJGA scoreboard) reconnected at District 6 tournaments and their sisterhood grew to include Sofia (Lily’s older sister), Maya and Kylie (Lily’s cousins), and Brianna (their longtime friend). They became a family – texting each other encouragements before tournaments, traveling to golf events together, and most importantly, making bubble tea runs together.

The girls also share similar life experiences. They are first-generation Americans, born to Vietnamese refugee parents who escaped war-torn Vietnam. They share a humble upbringing, understanding everything their parents have endured, sacrificed, and fought for to provide them with the opportunity to pursue the sport they love.

“It is a privilege to be able to play competitive golf. It takes a lot of time, resources, and support. For me to be able to pursue this game for over a decade, to make it to some of junior golf’s most elite tournaments, speaks to a level of privilege that I’m not sure I will ever be able to pay back,” states Lauryn.

To that end, the Nguyen sisters teamed up to organize the 1st Annual Nguyen Junior Am Fundraising Tournament at North Shore GC on September 26th, to give back to WJGA – an organization that has helped them learn the value of perseverance through competitive golf.

“WJGA has allowed me to grow so much in my game while making great friendships, having fun, and learning grit & determination. I’m inspired to give back to such an amazing organization,” exclaims Maya.

Each Nguyen sister chaired a major role in the Jr/AM: Brianna is the sponsorship chair, Kylie is took care of tee prizes/trophies, Maya is handled registration, Lauryn was in charge of tournament rules and contests, while Sofia and Lily took care of raffle prizes and communication with the host course.

Through all their incredible efforts, the Nguyen Sisters helped raise $24,415 for WJGA at the event, a truly remarkable effort. So with that WJGA gives the special group of Nguyen Sisters a very big THANK YOU for their incredible efforts on behalf of WJGA!

Posted in Junior Golf