For Nicole Lorup, this week’s Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson is more than another stop on the Epson Tour schedule. It is a home game in every sense of the phrase, as the Danish native now calls Las Vegas home after building her life and career in Southern Nevada through golf.

But the journey to a successful professional golf career, predominantly playing in the United States, wasn’t easy. And her love of the game wasn’t at first sight; it was a slow burn.

“I've been around golf basically since I was born,” said Lorup. “I have two older brothers and my parents, and they all played. I've just always been on the golf course, honestly. I had a little 7-iron and a little putter, and I literally did anything I could to lose them. But they would always magically appear again, to the point where my parents put a long label with 'Nicole Lorup' on it. So, they would ALWAYS come back."

And since her clubs would always find their way back to Nicole’s possession, she kept up with playing, eventually finding the love that drove her to compete.

“I don't know at what age, but I started beating my brothers points-wise in Stableford, so that's when it became more fun,” Lorup joked.

That competitive spirit eventually carried her across the Atlantic for college, first to Troy University in Alabama, and then to Las Vegas and UNLV, where she faced challenges that extended far beyond the golf course. Lorup arrived in the United States without speaking English, tasked with adapting to a new culture while balancing college athletics and academics.

“It was a challenge. I do think, though, that it helped a lot that I was born in Germany and grew up learning Danish and German at the same time,” said Lorup. “Moving to a country where no one else speaks your language forces you into learning. If you don't know a word, you have to explain it with the words you do know, so you just learn the language that way. I mean, I didn't speak to my teammates for two months.”

Despite the adjustment, Lorup persevered, largely with thanks to her supportive teammates who took their time to speak slowly and show Nicole the ropes. With so much to learn between cultural differences, the language and academics, Lorup’s time was spent, and she jokes that she slept best during the first two months, being completely worn out by the end of each day. Five years later, she earned her degree in Psychology from UNLV.

Now competing on the Epson Tour, Lorup remembers her past challenges and uses them as positive reinforcement on the professional circuit.

“Sometimes I think about it, and whenever things actually get hard, I think, 'Well, it has actually been harder,’” said Lorup. “I came over here not knowing anything, and I got through all that.”

Lorup’s connection to Las Vegas makes this week especially meaningful. The Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson gives her the opportunity to compete close to home while representing her sponsors and supporters who have invested heavily in women’s golf.

Ahead of tournament week, Lorup participated in the pro-am alongside Reliance Matrix’s CEO Chris Fazzini, an experience that offered a firsthand look at the company’s commitment to the Epson Tour and the athletes competing on it.

“I just got the whole feel of how supportive they are of women's golf and all of the stuff they do for us,” said Lorup.

That support system extends far beyond sponsors and tournament partners. During her time at UNLV, Lorup formed relationships that became family away from home. She affectionately refers to two longtime UNLV donors as her “American Grandpas,” and they remain a constant presence in her life as she navigates the professional ranks.

“They immediately, while I was at UNLV, took me under their wings,” Lorup said of her American Grandpas. “I have lunch with them basically once a month and catch up with them, but they just help with everything. They were one of the ones that helped me find a CPA, helped me with my LLC, did all of that with me, and just kind of check in with me because I don't have my own family over here.”

This week, those “American grandpas” will be in attendance at Spanish Trail Country Club cheering her on, another reminder of how deeply rooted the 27-year-old has become in the Las Vegas community.

For Lorup, the Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson represents far more than a tournament start. It is a reflection of the journey she has taken, from a young girl in Denmark trying to lose her golf clubs, to a student-athlete learning a new language in Las Vegas, to a professional golfer competing in front of a hometown crowd that now feels like family.

From Denmark to Las Vegas: Nicole Lorup’s Journey to a Homecoming on the Epson Tour

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