Legendary Mary Lou Mulflur to retire at season's end after 42 years as Washington head coach

It’s an end of an era for one of the best to ever do it in women’s college golf.

Mary Lou Mulflur, who is in her 42nd season as the head coach of the Washington women’s golf program, announced her plan to retire at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Mulflur was among the first golfers ever to earn a scholarship at Washington. She earned four letters as a Husky, then took over the program in 1983, two years after the retirement of her coach and mentor Edean Ihlenfeldt, who founded the program in 1974.

The highlight of Mulflur’s career was in 2016, when Washington captured the national championship. After finishing fourth in stroke play, the Huskies beat Virginia, UCLA and Stanford to earn the program’s first national title.

“Mary Lou is synonymous with Washington women’s golf, and has been a key member of this athletic department for decades,” said Pat Chun, Washington’s athletic director. “Her contributions to UW Athletics will long be remembered. On behalf of everyone in the department, we wish her a long and enjoyable retirement, and congratulate and thank her for everything she’s done for the Huskies.”

In her 41 seasons at Washington to date, Mulflur’s teams have earned an NCAA Regional berth all but once, and have advanced to the NCAA Championship 14 times. She was named national coach of the year in both 2015 and 2016, and earned Pac-10/Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times.

“I have been so incredibly fortunate to have competed for Washington and to have been the head coach since December 1, 1983,” Mulflur said. “But this day is not about me. It is about this amazing institution and more importantly, the incredible student-athletes that represent Washington every day. The young women that I have had the privilege of being around during my career have given me so much more than I could ever give them.”

Mulflur, who was inducted into Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013, grew up in Portland, Oregon, where her father was the sports editor of a newspaper. After leading Grant High School to the state title – twice earning the state’s individual medalist honors – she came to Washington for college. She has also been inducted to both the Grant High School and the Portland Interscholastic League Halls of Fame.

At Washington, she won three individual tournament championships and continued to play in both pro and amateur events long after her college career ended. Mulflur earned the NCGA Founders Award for her service to the sport in 2010 and has played a number of roles in the WGCA and the NCAA. She was also on the advisory board for the longtime local LPGA event in Seattle, the SAFECO Classic.

“Yes, winning the 2016 national championship is certainly the highlight of my career,” Mulflur said. “However, the relationships that I have established, and still maintain, over all this time is what I will treasure the most. Watching those student-athletes grow into women with families and children is so incredibly gratifying and I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything.”

Mulflur is the Washington athletic department’s longest-tenured employee. She will coach the Huskies through the end of the 2024-25 season before retiring. Washington begins its 2024-25 season Sept. 16-17, at the Leadership and Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Washington.