Lyla Louderbaugh, KU’s first NCAA regional golf champ, emerges on national scene
Kansas sophomore Lyla Louderbaugh entered the 2025 NCAA women’s golf regional in Columbus, Ohio, as the No. 210-ranked player in Division I.
The Buffalo, Missouri, native on Wednesday left Ohio State’s rain-soaked golf club as runaway individual medalist — the first regional champion in KU golf history — after shooting a 7-under 65 in the final round and defeating a pair of Arkansas golfers by 8 shots over the three-day event.
Her previous best finish as a Jayhawk was a tie for fourth at the Arizona State/PING Invitational on March 28-30 in Phoenix, Arizona. In fact, she entered regionals with two top-10 finishes in two seasons, covering 20 career tournaments.
Now she’s the No. 78-rated player in the land.
“Incredible (final) round,” fourth-year KU golf coach Lindsay Kuhle said Friday, speaking with media at the Gary Woodland Golf Complex in Lawrence.
“I knew it was in her when we recruited her because she shot 62 in high school and she’s had a lot of low rounds. And I think that’s something, once you do it — once you have the belief — you can do it, every time,” Kuhle added.
Louderbaugh fired numerous low rounds in high school. A four-time all-state selection in Missouri, she helped Springfield Catholic High School win three consecutive state titles.
“She’s been on a run since ASU at the end of March. She shot 66 in the final round at ASU, and she’s worked really hard to be a fixture in our lineup,” Kuhle said.
“She wasn’t in (the lineup) every event this fall and she worked really hard over winter break, but when she shot 66 at ASU, she’s been in a zone ever since. She’s done her own thing and has just really focused on one shot at a time and stayed with the process and not really thinking about the outcome,” Kuhle stated.
Louderbaugh, who placed in a tie for 25th at the Big 12 championships, says it’s no coincidence she’s played well the last three events, starting with ASU.
“I think my first collegiate bogey-free round at ASU really helped me in my process on the golf course. I realized I needed to be more, I keep saying, mellow, and ‘mono-emotional,’ if that makes sense. I don’t really show emotion. I’ll get excited when I hit good shots and make putts, but I think keeping a cool, calm, collected attitude on the golf course has really helped me,” Louderbaugh said.
What also has helped was watching senior teammate and first-team all-Big 12 selection Lauren Clark win three individual titles this season for a KU team that’s won a program-record six team titles including the first regional crown in school annals.
Clark, a senior from Orlando, Florida, is KU’s first all-league player since 2016.
“Like Coach keeps saying, winning is contagious, and I really think that just being able to see my teammates succeed has given me the confidence to succeed as well.” Louderbaugh said.
Five Jayhawks have won individual titles this school year, most individual winners in a season in school history.
Louderbaugh’s game plan on the course is “conservative golf,” she explained.
“I hit a lot of middle greens and putts, and this week I made a lot of putts which helped my scoring a lot. I also know when to attack and I know my strengths and what shots I’m good at. So that’s been a lot of fun,” she added.
Louderbaugh has a lot of confidence as KU prepares for the 30-team NCAA Championship, which is set for May 16-21 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
It’s KU’s third trip to nationals in school history, first since 2014.
The No. 21-ranked Jayhawk lineup will consist of regional performers Louderbaugh and Clark (tie for 21st at regional) as well as Johanna Ebner (tie for 12th), Ebba Nordstedt (tie 21st) and Amy DeKock (tie 35th). Senior Lily Hirst was alternate at regionals.
“I’m very excited for nationals. I feel like I’ve played well in California, and I play well in warm areas. I’m just excited for the opportunity, for sure,” Louderbaugh said.
After this, the Missouri native has two seasons of golf remaining at KU.
“Easy choice,” she said of deciding to play golf under Kuhle’s direction at KU. “Perfect distance from home. I love it here. It’s awesome. So happy I chose to be here.”
This story was originally published May 10, 2025 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Lyla Louderbaugh, KU’s first NCAA regional golf champ, emerges on national scene."
