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Now 12 years old, Lauren Patullo started taking golf lessons when she was 10, but has quickly climbed the ranks as a budding star in local and national tournaments. She credits her father, Kevin Patullo, for her interest in the sport.
“I started playing a little with my dad, and that is how I got interested in golf,” Lauren says. “My dad was a coach for the Colts and now works with the Philadelphia Eagles.”
But Kevin isn’t the story here. Lauren is. She currently plays for the Bridgewater Club Team at Bridgewater Country Club in Carmel. She works with Coach Mike Abbott at Bridgewater.
“I have had the opportunity to work with Lauren for a couple of years now,” Abbott says. “Lauren is definitely a gifted athlete. She loves to compete. She works incredibly hard, but what I like most about Lauren is how coachable she is.”
The sixth-grader at Westfield Intermediate School isn’t old enough to play through the school, so she participates in U.S. Kids Golf, Indiana Junior Golf Association and Bridgestone Junior Tour.
“I won first place U.S. kids at Ironwood Country club and shot a 77,” Lauren says. “On April 18, I placed second with a 76 at Stony Creek Country Club. Then on April 25, 2nd again with a 77 at Stony Creek Country Club.”
“For the first time last year, I played in the U.S. Kids World Tournament in Pinehurst, North Carolina,” Lauren says. “Recently, I got an email saying I qualified (for the) U.S. Kids Teen World Series in July. That tournament unlocks other tournaments.”
In 2019, Lauren competed in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals in Augusta, Georgia.
“She placed first in the local tour qualifier but did not place in the second round,” says Nichole Patullo, Lauren’s mom. “She’s going to try it again late this June.”
Lauren’s competitiveness fuels her love of golf.
“I like golf because I get to be competitive and outside,” Lauren says. “I love to walk around the course and be outside, listening to the birds.”
Lauren likes to play other sports, art, and spend time with her dog in her free time.
“I like to play football with my dad,” Lauren says. “I also played basketball for the Westfield Lady Rocks. I love to play with a puppy named Magnolia Lane, which is the entrance to Augusta National Golf Club.”
Lauren has a younger brother named Logan, who also plays golf.
“He’s played in the PGA Junior League,” Lauren says.
Lauren’s goals for her golf game span far into the future.
“In the future, I want to keep playing golf, keep getting better, and I know this is a big dream, but I’d love to play in the LPGA,” Lauren says.
Now that she has played for two years, the real question is can she beat her dad, who caddies for her?
“I’m getting really good, so I think I can beat him,” Lauren says. “He’s out of town in Philadelphia working a lot right now, but I think the next time we play, I can.”
