Three Players Receive Sponsor Exemptions for the 2025 Four Winds Invitational

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – June 19, 2025 – The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds® Casinos are pleased to announce that Gabby Barker (Lemieux), Lauren Beaudreau, and Paige Warren have received sponsor exemptions to play in the 2025 Four Winds Invitational.  Sponsor exemptions are used to give amateurs and up-and-coming players the opportunity to play in professional tournaments.  The Four Winds Invitational is part of the Epson Tour, which entered its 45^th year of structured competition in 2025 and is the most established women’s qualifying tour in the world as the one “Road to the LPGA.”  The tournament will take place from Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3 at South Bend Country Club.  Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to Beacon Children’s Hospital.

Commenting on the sponsor exemptions, Matthew Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana said, “Opportunity can be pivotal in helping to shape the future of the next generation and we are proud to continue our long-standing tradition of offering sponsor exemptions to young ladies with diverse backgrounds, ambitions and goals.  Gabby, Lauren, and Paige are all uniquely talented and we are excited to welcome them back to the tournament this year.”

Mary Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos added, “We are excited to open doors for these deserving young ladies while also giving back to the community for a great cause.  We wish Gabby, Lauren, and Paige the best of luck at this year’s tournament.”

Greg Helmkamp, Head Golf Professional at South Bend Country Club said, “Gabby, Lauren and Paige all have a passion for the sport and proven tournament performance to compete with the best players on the LPGA’s Epson Tour.  We look forward to welcoming them to South Bend Country Club, along with the rest of the field, for a very competitive tournament this year.”

Gabby Barker (Lemieux) from Caldwell, Idaho is a graduate of Texas Tech University.  She is part of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe and the first Native American to compete in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2022.  Her top tournament finishes include winning the Idaho Women’s Amateur three times.  She has also had three top-ten finishes on the Epson Tour.  She first joined the Epson Tour in 2018 and previously tied for second at the Four Winds Invitational in 2022.  More information on Gabby can be found at https://www.epsontour.com/athletes/gabby-lemieux/99231/bio.

Lauren Beaudreau is from Lemont, Illinois and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate degree in marketing and a master’s degree in business analytics.  During her final season of collegiate golf, Lauren held the lowest scoring average in Notre Dame history at 71.88.  Lauren is a three-time collegiate champion, including a record-breaking victory at the 2024 NCAA Regional Championship where she broke the Notre Dame 54-hole scoring record at 12 under par.  Lauren was named an All-American and is a five-time WGCA Academic All-American.  In 2024 she had her first professional win at the Illinois Women’s Open.  She has also competed in eight USGA championships and will be making her third appearance at the Four Winds Invitational.  More information on Lauren can be found at https://laurengolf.com/.

Paige Warren is a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana and first played in the Four Winds Invitational in 2019 at age 16.  She played three years of varsity golf for Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland where she won the 2019 conference title and was the runner up in 2018.  She also earned all-conference recognition.  She played collegiate golf for Washington University in St. Louis and had numerous top-ten finishes.  She graduated in 2025 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  In addition to her athletic achievements, Paige has consistently earned Dean’s List honors and holds multiple academic accolades, including Academic All-UAA and WGCA All-American Scholar distinction.  More information on Paige can be found at https://washubears.com/sports/womens-golf/roster/paige-warren/7664.

Volunteers are still needed to fill a variety of roles including assisting with scoring duties and serving as building attendants, caddies, cart drivers, driving range attendants, food and beverage servers, marshals and spotters, parking attendants, standard bearers, shuttle drivers, and more.  For more information and to complete the volunteer application, please visit  http://fourwindsinvitational.com/volunteer/.

For questions regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact Stephen Sanderson, Four Winds Invitational Volunteer Coordinator at fwivolunteer@southbendcc.com.

About the Four Winds Invitational
The Four Winds® Invitational was established in 2012 as part of the Road to the LPGA®, and is sponsored by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds® Casinos.  The tournament features a field of professional women golfers from around the world.  More information is available at:  http://fourwindsinvitational.com/.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994.  The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care, and cultural preservation for its more than 6,300 citizens.  The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana.  Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind.  In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in January 2018.  The Pokagon Band operates a variety of non-gaming businesses through its investment enterprises, Mno-Bmadsen and the Pokagon Development Authority.  More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.

About the Epson Tour
The Epson Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 45th competitive season in 2025.  With the support of entitlement partner Seiko Epson Corporation, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best female professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour.  In the last decade, the Epson Tour has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $5 million awarded across 20 events in 2025.  In all, 402 LPGA Tour titles have been won by Epson Tour alumni, including 49 major championships.  Follow the Epson Tour at www.epsontour.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Media Contact:
David Gutierrez, for the Pokagon Band and its Four Winds Casinos, (312) 780-7204, dgutierrez@dresnerco.com