The Kansas Jayhawks women’s golf team had an historic victory Wednesday at the Ohio State University Golf Club.

The women’s team took home the program’s first NCAA regional title in program history, and sophomore Lyla Louderbaugh played blemish-free golf en route to the individual title. She had a cumulative score of -12 while the team finished -6 total. The Jayhawks rode a -12 final round, and as a reward, Kansas will head to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2014. 

Kansas needed to finish in the top five to advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s Champions Course in Carlsbad, California. Not only did Kansas qualify, but it will enter as one of the only teams in the field to win the regional and will be one of the favorites to take home a national championship. 

The opening round saw the Jayhawks just short of the cutline. Fortunately for the team, Kansas still had two rounds to creep back into contention. The Jayhawks shot 289 (+1) in the opening round and found themselves in sixth place just a few shots off the pace. 

Sophomore Lyla Louderbaugh, a lefty, fired the low round for Kansas. She finished with a bogey-free three-under (69). She was a key contributor for the Jayhawks, as no one else was under par. Senior Lauren Clark and junior Amy DeKock both shot even par in the opening round. Johanna Ebner rounded out scoring with a four-over 76. 

After round one, Louderbough sat in fourth place individually in a loaded field, continuing her regular season. Head coach Lindsay Kuhle was pleased with the effort in round one and that Kansas was within striking distance.

“I think we are in great shape,” Kuhle said. “The course was wet, but we played preferred lies in the fairway, which helped. You can make a lot of passes out there, and I feel like we are a good ball-striking team, and we showed that today. We just need to be more consistent and avoid holes that are over bogeys and limit the three-putts out here.”

Round two was a moving day for Kansas. The Jayhawks shot the lowest round with a team score of 293 (+5) and moved up into a qualifying position. The Jayhawks were tied for third and found themselves in great shape. 

Louderbaugh led the charge for Kansas with a round of -2 (70). She sat at five-under for the tournament and led by a two-shot margin going into the last round. 

Ebner followed up her opening round with a 74 (+2). She moved up 21 spots with the course playing much tougher on the second day overall. Freshman Ebba Nordstedt shot well in her college playoff debut. She shot a 74 and was in red figures on the back nine. Clark rounded out the scoring for Kansas with a 75. 

“This has been a total team effort the last two days,” Kuhle said. “We know we have the experience and ability to play in tough conditions because that is what we practice and prepare for back home. Everything we did this year was to prepare for a round like today.” 

It was Wednesday that Kansas surged into the championship. The Jayhawks shot a scorching hot -12 and had three under-par rounds. Ebner fired one of the best rounds of her college career with a 67 (-5), Nordstedt had an impressive round for a freshman with a two-under (70) and Clark remained consistent with a closing round of 74. 

The big story was the sophomore from Buffalo, Missouri. Lyla Louderbaugh could not miss for the Jayhawks. She shot a seven-under (65) for a career-low round, and had eight birdies and just had four bogeys the entire tournament.

“What a day. I am so incredibly proud of the way we showed up the last two days,” Kuhle said. “We have been visualizing this all year, and I think a lot of it is us believing we could do this. We have depth on this team where any player can win. To have six team wins and five individual wins on the year is incredible. Hats off to Lyla shooting 65, with Johanna and Ebba coming through with big-time performances on a championship course.”

This is the first time that Kansas will be on the national stage since 2014. It is only the second time that Kansas has made it through the regional qualifiers. The Jayhawks will now have the opportunity to play on national television . 

“I could not be prouder of this group,” Kuhle said. “Everyone contributed and made a difference this week. Our finish at the Big 12 Championship was a huge motivator for us. We had a competitive week of practice that prepared our ladies for this moment. I am so grateful for this group and how much they care about each other. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to compete for KU at the highest level.”

After the effort from Kansas, its will compete for the National Championship from May 16-21. The event will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel.

Eli Fitzgerald is a sophomore from Peoria, Illinois, studying sports management. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, basketball and watching sports. His favorite teams are the Jayhawks, Cardinals, Blues and Seahawks. Eli primarily writes about basketball, golf and football. His X is @FitzyEli

This article was edited by sports editor Liam Carson. Contact him at carsonlo@ku.edu for feedback or errors.