This weekend, Paige Warren (Baltimore, Maryland) returns as a tournament sponsor exemption for a second straight year. Currently a high school senior at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Warren is balancing her new online school format due to COVID-19 with practicing golf. She is also a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and one of two Native Americans in the field. A recent commit to Washington University in St. Louis, Warren looks forward to learning from the pros and taking the lessons with her into the next step of her career.
“This year has been different; I have had a lot more time to practice with school being online. It’s all about time management and organization, but it’s doable,” said Warren. “You learn from everything they do, from the way every play warms up to managing the course, but I think the biggest thing is seeing the grind week to week and how much hard work they put into it. You can also see the ups and downs, as well as, the perseverance that it takes for them to really succeed on tour.”
This weekend is an opportunity for Warren to grow as a golfer and represent her tribe in this year’s final event for the Potawatomi Cup. She is joined in the field by Gabby Lemieux (Caldwell, Idaho), Nike N7 ambassador and member of the Shoshone Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation.
“I am just really proud to represent my tribe. It’s an honor just to be here and be able to compete with such great players,” said Warren. “One of the biggest things I have learned from spending time with the tribe is the value in just being a good person. Always remembering your family, respecting your elders and learning as much as you can from them. Just trying to be the best person you can be goes a long way no matter what you do.”
“Currently being the only Native American Women’s Professional golfer, I have always had hopes of the younger generation following in the footsteps of myself or Notah Begay,” said Lemieux. “To have another fellow golfer, who is a tribal member, in the field is amazing. I wish the best for her this week and moving forward in her golf career.”