Mary Lou Mulflur - Women's Golf Coach - University of Washington Athletics

Mary Lou Mulflur

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
mlmulf@uw.edu
Phone:
(206) 550-8629

Mary Lou "ML" Mulflur concluded her 42nd season as Husky women's golf head coach in 2024-25, as she is the longest tenured head coach in UW history.

Mulflur (who played for Edean Ihlanfeldt, Washington's first coach who started the program in 1974-75 and coached through the 1980-81 season) has become synonymous with the Huskies' women's golf program, building on four-plus decades as a standout golfer and coach.

Her success at Washington reached the pinnacle when Washington won the NCAA Championship in 2016, but the list of accomplishments, on and off the golf course, are many.

Since NCAA Regionals for women's golf were first introduced in 1993, the UW women's team has earned a berth in all but one of 30 possible seasons (2020 was not held).

Since 2000, the UW women have advanced from the Regionals to the NCAA Championships 10 times. During that same time span, the Huskies have finished in the top-10 four times.

Mulflur herself has been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year on three occasions – in 1998, 1999 and 2016 – while also earning Golfweek National Coach of the Year in both 2015 and 2016. She was also tabbed as the WGCA's National Coach of the Year in 2016.

Mulflur has coached numerous Huskies who have gone on to play professionally and/or coach at the collegiate level. Nancy Kessler-McDaniel, a member of Mulflur's first recruiting class, played at Washington from 1984-88, finishing her career as an All-American in 1987-88. Kessler-McDaniel went on to play professionally and founded the Cal women's golf program where she coached for 29 years.

Mulflur also coached former LPGA players Paige Mackenzie and Louise Friberg. These two played together at the 2008 SBS Open at Turtle Bay, the first time two UW alumni have played in the same LPGA event. Mackenzie is the first player from a “Northern” school to win the individual conference title, claiming victory in 2006. She also recorded 24 top-10 finishes, ranking first in Husky women's golf team history. Friberg has 13 total top-10 finishes, ranking fourth all-time. Friberg won on the LPGA tour in 2005 in Mexico with a final round 65.

Following her playing career, Mackenzie has moved on to a successful career as a television commentator for the Golf Channel, where she now serves as lead analyst for the LPGA Tour.

More recently, Sadena Parks, who wrapped up her UW career in 2012, became just the fifth Black woman to earn her LPGA Tour card, qualifying through the Symetra Tour, where she was a two-time winner.

In the last decade, a long list of UW alumnae have gone on to play as professionals, including SooBin Kim, Jennifer Yang, Cyd Okino, Rino Sasaki, Sarah Rhee, Wenyung Keh, Julianne Alvarez, Alice Duan, Karen Miyamoto and Charlotte Thomas, who is the latest UW alum on the LPGA Tour.

Additionally, former Husky All-American Kelli Kamimura, who served as an assistant to Mulflur after her playing career ended, went on to spend 12 seasons as head coach at Washington State.

In all 20 UW golfers have earned some level of NGCA All-America honors during Mulflur's tenure, while a Husky player has won an individual tournament title on 37 occasions during her time at UW.

Mulflur's players have also achieved in the classroom. Mackenzie was named to the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-Scholar Team four times and, during Mulflur's tenure, UW golfers have earned the distinction on 30 occasions. Mulflur's teams consistently rank among the top programs in the nation and in the Pac-12 in terms of the NCAA's two primary academic ratings: Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Rate (APR), more often than not posting perfect scores in those two measures.

As a student-athlete, Mulflur earned four letters as a Husky. During her collegiate career, she won three regular-season tournaments, including the inaugural Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in 1980.

While attending Grant High School in Portland, Ore., Mulflur won state high school titles in 1974 and 1975. In October of 2004, Mulflur was inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame, and in 2006 she was inducted into the Grant High School Hall of Fame. Her 1974 state championship team was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in October 2013. She also won the 1975 Oregon Junior Championship. Mulflur won Southern Oregon titles in 1980, 1982, 1995 and 1997 as well as the Oregon Coast Invitational in 1979, 1982, and 1990.

Mulflur has competed in seven United States Golf Association events. The US Junior in 1974 and 1975. The U.S. Amateur in 1979, 1980 and 1982 and the U.S. Open in 1979 and 1980. In addition, she competed in four National Collegiate Championships.

Mulflur graduated from Washington in 1980 with a degree in speech communications. She is a former vice-president of the Women's Golf Coaches Association as well as having served on numerous committees within the Association.

Mulflur served on the LPGA SAFECO Classic Advisory Board for many years and along with SAFECO, developed a junior golf program for inner city girls. She also served as a member of the NCAA Women’s Golf Committee from 2008-2011.

In 2010 Mulflur was presented with the WGCA Founders Award which recognizes a coach who has made significant contributions to the sport during the year. In October, 2013 she was recognized by the Northwest Golf Media Association's “Local Legend” Award which honors those individuals who have distinguished themselves either as golfers or for their involvement with the golf community in the Pacific Northwest over an extended period of time.

Mary Lou and her partner, Martha, are the parents of two children: son, William; and daughter, Lindsey.