Gabby Lemieux, a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe in southwestern Idaho (left), competed against the world’s best in last week’s LPGA tournament hosted at the Oneida Nation-owned Thornberry Creek golf course.

The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin hosted the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic over the holiday week, July 2-7 at its Thornberry Creek golf course, the official course of the Green Bay Packers. The Tribe first secured the the women’s golf tour event in 2017 — a strategic pursuit to put its golf course, hotels, casino and other Tribal businesses on the tourism map. The 2017 inaugural event contributed $7.2 million to the local Green Bay economy, drawing some 50,000 to 70,000 spectators. 

“It’s bringing a spotlight to Tribally-owned businesses that can do big business and do it the right way,” said then Thornberry Creek Chief Operating Officer Josh Doxtator. “You know, it tells a great story, also the story of the Oneida culture, the history and their movement from poverty to prosperity.”

Beyond the immediate economic impact, the tournament benefits the region through national media exposure, said Brad Toll, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau. The 2019 event saw 11 hours of live coverage on NBC’s The Golf Channel.

“National TV audiences add to the impact and the message that there’s world-class golf in northeast Wisconsin. This really puts us on the stage when it comes to professional golf,” Toll said. 

The third edition of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic featured sponsor invite Gabby Lemieux, a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe. Lemieux, who graduated from Texas Tech in 2018, has played the majority of the season on the LPGA Symetra Tour and is the only Native American in the 144 player field. 

Lemieux, the former U.S Women’s Amateur champion, competed for the $2 million purse, alongside world champions. China’s Shanshan Feng who claimed the dramatic victory on Sunday. 

Commenting on her return, prior to the tournament, Gabby Lemieux, said, “I’m so grateful to Oneida for the invite to play at Thornberry Creek again this year and I’m determined to learn from my experience last season and come back stronger. As the only Native American in the field I definitely felt the support of the Tribe out on the course and I can’t wait to be back.”

Since her 2018 professional debut, Lemieux has partnered with the Nike N7 Fund created “to provide access to Nike products directly to Native American Tribes to support health promotion and disease prevention programs,” according to the N7 website.

“About a year ago, I was introduced to Nike N7,” Lemieux told Golfweek. “I just thought it resonated with me very well because of trying to give back to American youth … and trying to get them active and out there playing sports.”