Lauren Beaudreau, a former Benet Academy star, has turned a longtime passion for golf into a professional career. Now splitting her time between Illinois summers and Florida winters, she competes on the LPGA Epson Qualifying Tour against some of the top rising players in the world. This Where Are They Now segment is presented by Grow Sports Psychology.
“It was always a dream of mine since I was about 12 to play professionally,” said Lauren Beaudreau. “After the last two seasons I had at Notre Dame, I felt I could compete out there and wanted to give it a try.”
Beaudreau’s journey started in August of 2015 with a head-turning varsity debut at the McGonagle Invitational. Topping a field of seven state qualifiers, including two-time defending 2A champ Jessica Yuen of Neuqua Valley. The freshman took first place with an impressive round of 72, a sign of big things to come.
“I had been playing competitive golf since I was about 11 years old. So I was pretty comfortable with the competition. And I really loved the competition. So, when I arrived at Benet, I was really hoping to have a really good start to my high school career. And I did, and I just gained confidence each year that I played at Benet,” said Beaudreau.
Beaudreau would quickly rise the ranks as one of the top golfers in the state of Illinois. The young Redwing won a sectional championship and finished fourth at the IHSA state meet as a freshman. As a sophomore, Beaudreau took her game to an even higher level, winning regional and sectional titles, before finishing as the state runner-up by only a single stroke.
At that point, Lauren Beaudreau realized that she wanted to take the next step in her golf game by competing across the country in amateur women’s tournaments and events in lieu of playing her junior season at Benet.
A memorable performance at State to cap off her Redwing career
The experience was valuable, but after committing to play collegiately at Notre Dame, there was one unfinished task on her high school resume, a state championship.
“I was pleased with my fourth-place and my second-place finish in my first two years of high school golf. Then I did have the opportunity to play in some AJAA Invitationals. And I did play in a British Women’s Amateur during that time. So it was nice to test my playing abilities at the highest level, but I still wanted to come in first at state, and that was a goal of mine from when I was a freshman,” said Beadreau. “So I was like, I need to come back my senior year and really give it a good run.”
Beaudreau returned to the Redwings lineup for her senior season in the fall of 2018 and rolled through the competition once again, all the way to the state tournament.
After leading throughout most of the two-day event, the senior needed to make par on the 18th hole to clinch the elusive first-place medal. After her second shot went into the bunker off the side of the green. She was able to keep her nerves at bay, hitting a chip within four feet of the pin, before delivering a clutch par save to win the 2A state championship, the first in Benet Academy history.
“That was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been, coming down the stretch of the tournament because it meant so much to me. And, I was really happy to, you know, stick that to about three feet and make that putt, said Beaudreau. “It was just a great end to my high school career.
Her two-day score of 140 set the IHSA record at the time for the lowest two-day score in the history of the girls golf tournament.
Finishing strong at Notre Dame
After graduating from Benet in 2019, Beaudreau thrived on the course at Notre Dame, as well as the classroom, earning a degree in Marketing and a Master’s in Business Analytics. In her final year with the Fighting Irish in 2024, she set the program record for the lowest average score at 71.88. She was able to compete across the globe, including at the historic St. Andrews Old Course in Scotland. Her crowning achievement in college golf came at the 2024 Regionals, where Beadreau set the Notre Dame 54-hole record, winning the title by an incredible 12 strokes.
“I had a dream week that week. I was ball striking, and putting was an A-plus. I was able to shoot 12 under par for three rounds,” said Beaudreau. “I also set the 54-hole scoring record at Notre Dame that week and won one of my last collegiate events. So that was a really nice cap to my career there.”
Finding success at the professional level
In the summer of 2024, the former Redwing Lauren Beadreau turned pro and quickly made her mark by earning her first career professional victory, proving she had what it takes to compete with the best in the sport.
“I got off to a very good start professionally,” said Beaudreau. “I won my second tournament, the Illinois Open, as a professional, and I did successfully make it to LPGA stage one qualifying my first year. So that gave me confidence to keep going.”
After finding success on the links at an early age, Lauren Beaudreau has worked tirelessly throughout her high school, collegiate, and now professional career to improve and fine-tune her game. The thousands of hours on the course have paid off, allowing the Benet grad the chance to play the game she loves at the highest level. Over the past decade, the Redwing legend has come to recognize the importance of being patient and committed when chasing your dreams.
“Yeah, I would say, I would say you really have to love it. I have always loved golf since the time I was 12 and was very motivated to practice. But I think that, you know, There are a lot of times where it’s frustrating. And a lot of results don’t go your way, but really staying committed to your process because not everyone’s on the same timeline,” said Beaudreau. “You may have success super early and then cool off for a bit, or it might be the other way around. And so, you definitely have to be in it for the long haul.”
For Naperville Sports Weekly, I’m Justin Cornwell.
For more prep sports stories and highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
