Photo by: Tim Cowie/Tim Cowie Photography
National Champion Lauryn Nguyen leaves an inspiring legacy on and off the course
8/25/2025 2:30:00 PM | Women's Golf
On May 21, 2025, Northwestern senior Lauryn Nguyen stood on the edge of the 18th green at the NCAA Championships, arm in arm with her teammates, as Dianna Lee approached her final putt that would clinch the Wildcats their first-ever National Championship. When the putt hit the bottom of the cup, Nguyen rushed the green, eager to celebrate the win with her team.
As the NCAA Championships came to a close, so did Nguyen's collegiate career, capping off a four-year journey that saw her exit as one of the most prolific golfers in program history.
The road began 45 years ago for the Nguyen family, when Nguyen's mother Anna arrived in America at five years old on a raft from Vietnam. Anna met her husband Daniel at a Vietnamese church, and the two went to college together and later married. They worked tirelessly to support their kids, doing whatever they could in order to make their dreams a reality.
"From a young age my parents made so many sacrifices for my brother and me," Nguyen said. "We were able to achieve so much and a lot of it is thanks to them. We wouldn't have been here without them."
Nguyen holds a deep appreciation of her parents' sacrifices, and founded a non-profit alongside her brother in an effort to pay it forward. The Duc Foundation aims to give scholarships to kids in need, with the long-term goal of expanding their outreach to kids in Vietnam.
Additionally, she helps to run the Nguyen Junior Amateur each year, a tournament that aims to give back to non-profits in the greater Seattle area.
"We wanted an opportunity to give back to the community that needed it," Nguyen said. "Being able to play for something bigger than yourself, I think it makes me play better."
Nguyen first entered the world of golf at a young age, with Anna playing recreationally in their hometown of Seattle, Washington, taking both Nguyen and her older brother Alex with her in the golf cart. Nguyen first picked up the game of golf herself at five years old, following in the footsteps of her brother.
"From a really early age I really liked collecting trophies and medals so it was very materialistic at the beginning," Nguyen recalled, "but I feel like that just kind of spiraled into a more competitive path through high school and college."
That competitive fire drove Nguyen to a very successful high school career at West Seattle High School, winning the Metro League Conference Championship in 2018, 2019, and 2020, while also taking runner-up honors at the state championship in both 2017 and 2019, capturing the attention of Northwestern head coach Emily Fletcher in the process.
"We were really impressed with her consistency, her competitiveness, and just felt like she had an enthusiasm for all things Northwestern," Fletcher said. "We just really felt like she would be a great fit on not only the golf level but all levels."
Fletcher was eventually able to get Nguyen to Evanston for a visit, the last school she visited, ultimately sealing the deal for both her and assistant coach Beth Miller.
"I think with them being the last one in my process, it really stuck with me and it was nice to see the other schools compared to it," Nguyen recalled. "It was a combination of everything I was looking for."
As the lone first-year on the Wildcat's 2021-22 roster, Nguyen appeared in all 30 rounds for Northwestern in her first season en route to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
"She was a very mature young 18-year-old when she came to college so she was very self-assured and confident and really had it together," Fletcher recalled. "Even during that time, I think she just grew into sharing that with other people and building into her teammates."
Over the next four years, Nguyen wouldn't miss a match for the Wildcats, appearing in 137 rounds across her career. Nguyen didn't miss a beat in her senior campaign, leading the team with seven rounds in the 60s and capturing her second collegiate win at the Silverado Showdown in April to close out the regular season.
The team demonstrated the importance of getting hot at the right time, finishing in third in stroke play at the NCAA Championships to qualify for match play for the first time since 2017. Northwestern's first opponent was Arkansas, with Nguyen playing in the penultimate match against the Razorbacks' Clarisa Temelo.
On her 22nd birthday, Nguyen's match became the decider with the overall score tied 2-2. She built a two-hole lead before Temelo rallied to force a playoff.
The first playoff hole was hole number seven, where Nguyen carded a bogey to even the match earlier in the day. Fletcher recalled speaking to Nguyen before the hole, who reveled in the chance to triumph in a playoff.
"She wasn't thinking of failure," Fletcher said. "She was looking forward and just saw it as an opportunity."
Temelo bogied the hole, leaving Nguyen with a tester for par to win the match. She drained it, propelling the 'Cats to the second round against Oregon. Nguyen embraced the pressure, seeing it as a challenge and rising to the occasion.
"There's two ways you can go with it," Nguyen explained. "You can either crack into the pressure and think of everything as an opportunity to lose. Or just reframing it to be an opportunity to represent your school and put a point on the board. That's how I took it in terms of my match with Arkansas, and especially with Stanford."
The Wildcats defeated Oregon later that day to punch their ticket to the finals of match play. The 'Cats had previously reached the finals in 2017, but ultimately fell to Arizona State. Standing in their way this time around was Stanford, who had gone undefeated in stroke play across the entire season. For Nguyen, the team saw the opportunity against one of collegiate golf's juggernauts for anything to happen.
Nguyen paired against the No. 8 ranked Paula Martín Sampedro, overcoming a slow start to lead for a majority of the match. Once again, the match came down to the final hole, with Nguyen setting up the winning birdie with a clutch approach shot on the eighteenth hole.
Nguyen's level-headedness across the week was nothing new according to Fletcher, who praised Nguyen's ability to stay cool across her four-year career regardless of how her round went. She was heralded throughout the championship by many, including Fletcher, who praised her as a team leader that the team rallied behind.
Nguyen instead responded with humility.
"Honestly I really didn't notice it until people were saying that afterwards," she said. "I really don't think [the team] needed that much of a push."
Instead of trying to motivate the team as a leader, Nguyen hoped to get the most out them by doing her part to create a positive environment off the course, going on walks with the team and doing activities to take their minds off of their upcoming matches.
"They were loose," Fletcher said. "They weren't sitting in their room worrying about the match they were going to play."
Fletcher believes Nguyen's ability to detach is a result of the support she's received from her parents across her playing career
"When the golf was over, they were just happy to be around Lauryn as mom and dad," Fletcher recalled, as Nguyen's parents became a mainstay at the Wildcats' tournaments over the last four years.
Nguyen's mother Anna surprised her at the NCAA Championships, arriving the day before the competition started. With Nguyen's brother Alex graduating from Bradley University, Anna attended the ceremony, flew back home to Seattle to grab their dog Mila, and flew down to San Diego to watch her daughter play.
"It was super, super special," Nguyen recalled. "Throughout the year they came to support us. The team was very familiar with them so just being able to see another familiar face in the crowd, that just warms your heart."
Anna's impact was felt almost immediately by the team, even going as far as doing the team's laundry the night before the championship match. Less than 24 hours later, Anna was cheering on her daughter as she brought her team one point closer to victory.
"When she sank that putt to win her match, all the emotions came out from her, from me, because it's been a long road," Anna told Golf Channel after the round.
Nguyen leaves Northwestern with an incredible resume, finishing her career as a four-time All-Big Ten golfer, a two-time All-American, and a National Champion, in addition to holding both the single-season and career scoring averages in program history.
Despite all her accolades, it will be off the course where her absence will be felt the most.
"She made me a better coach," Fletcher said. "She made us better people. Her family made us all better and loved on us in a way that really enriched our lives and that's what I most appreciate about Lauryn and will really miss about her."
That sentiment was echoed by Nguyen when looking back on her four years at Northwestern, as the golfer that once loved to collect trophies at a young age now finds herself more concerned about her impact away from the game of golf.
"I think there will always be the numbers and stats about me on the course, but I want to be remembered as a person that was enjoyable off the course," Nguyen said.
Now, Nguyen has her sights on her childhood dream: reaching the LPGA Tour. Nguyen made her debut on the ANNIKA Women's All Pro Tour in July in preparation for Q School in September, where she will attempt to earn an LPGA tour card. Thus far, Nguyen has played in three WAPT events, finishing as high as runner up at the Real Okie Championship in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
For Fletcher, she has all the confidence in the world that Lauryn will be successful in whatever she chooses to do.
"My wants for Lauryn aren't just golf related," she said. "She's got an amazing family and I just want her to be happy. I think regardless of what Lauryn does she'll find a way to continue to contribute to the community and be grateful for her opportunities that she has whether they're going to be in golf or something else. I just want to see her continue to impact her world the way that she has in our world in the last four years."
"There's so much more to her than just golf."
As the NCAA Championships came to a close, so did Nguyen's collegiate career, capping off a four-year journey that saw her exit as one of the most prolific golfers in program history.
The road began 45 years ago for the Nguyen family, when Nguyen's mother Anna arrived in America at five years old on a raft from Vietnam. Anna met her husband Daniel at a Vietnamese church, and the two went to college together and later married. They worked tirelessly to support their kids, doing whatever they could in order to make their dreams a reality.
"From a young age my parents made so many sacrifices for my brother and me," Nguyen said. "We were able to achieve so much and a lot of it is thanks to them. We wouldn't have been here without them."
Nguyen holds a deep appreciation of her parents' sacrifices, and founded a non-profit alongside her brother in an effort to pay it forward. The Duc Foundation aims to give scholarships to kids in need, with the long-term goal of expanding their outreach to kids in Vietnam.
Additionally, she helps to run the Nguyen Junior Amateur each year, a tournament that aims to give back to non-profits in the greater Seattle area.
"We wanted an opportunity to give back to the community that needed it," Nguyen said. "Being able to play for something bigger than yourself, I think it makes me play better."
Nguyen first entered the world of golf at a young age, with Anna playing recreationally in their hometown of Seattle, Washington, taking both Nguyen and her older brother Alex with her in the golf cart. Nguyen first picked up the game of golf herself at five years old, following in the footsteps of her brother.
"From a really early age I really liked collecting trophies and medals so it was very materialistic at the beginning," Nguyen recalled, "but I feel like that just kind of spiraled into a more competitive path through high school and college."
That competitive fire drove Nguyen to a very successful high school career at West Seattle High School, winning the Metro League Conference Championship in 2018, 2019, and 2020, while also taking runner-up honors at the state championship in both 2017 and 2019, capturing the attention of Northwestern head coach Emily Fletcher in the process.
"We were really impressed with her consistency, her competitiveness, and just felt like she had an enthusiasm for all things Northwestern," Fletcher said. "We just really felt like she would be a great fit on not only the golf level but all levels."
Fletcher was eventually able to get Nguyen to Evanston for a visit, the last school she visited, ultimately sealing the deal for both her and assistant coach Beth Miller.
"I think with them being the last one in my process, it really stuck with me and it was nice to see the other schools compared to it," Nguyen recalled. "It was a combination of everything I was looking for."
As the lone first-year on the Wildcat's 2021-22 roster, Nguyen appeared in all 30 rounds for Northwestern in her first season en route to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
"She was a very mature young 18-year-old when she came to college so she was very self-assured and confident and really had it together," Fletcher recalled. "Even during that time, I think she just grew into sharing that with other people and building into her teammates."
Over the next four years, Nguyen wouldn't miss a match for the Wildcats, appearing in 137 rounds across her career. Nguyen didn't miss a beat in her senior campaign, leading the team with seven rounds in the 60s and capturing her second collegiate win at the Silverado Showdown in April to close out the regular season.
The team demonstrated the importance of getting hot at the right time, finishing in third in stroke play at the NCAA Championships to qualify for match play for the first time since 2017. Northwestern's first opponent was Arkansas, with Nguyen playing in the penultimate match against the Razorbacks' Clarisa Temelo.
On her 22nd birthday, Nguyen's match became the decider with the overall score tied 2-2. She built a two-hole lead before Temelo rallied to force a playoff.
The first playoff hole was hole number seven, where Nguyen carded a bogey to even the match earlier in the day. Fletcher recalled speaking to Nguyen before the hole, who reveled in the chance to triumph in a playoff.
"She wasn't thinking of failure," Fletcher said. "She was looking forward and just saw it as an opportunity."
Temelo bogied the hole, leaving Nguyen with a tester for par to win the match. She drained it, propelling the 'Cats to the second round against Oregon. Nguyen embraced the pressure, seeing it as a challenge and rising to the occasion.
Nguyen for the Win ??
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) May 20, 2025
Lauryn Nguyen takes her playoff hole to send the 'Cats to the #NCAAGolf Semifinals later today! pic.twitter.com/8SKOpQTGqm
"There's two ways you can go with it," Nguyen explained. "You can either crack into the pressure and think of everything as an opportunity to lose. Or just reframing it to be an opportunity to represent your school and put a point on the board. That's how I took it in terms of my match with Arkansas, and especially with Stanford."
The Wildcats defeated Oregon later that day to punch their ticket to the finals of match play. The 'Cats had previously reached the finals in 2017, but ultimately fell to Arizona State. Standing in their way this time around was Stanford, who had gone undefeated in stroke play across the entire season. For Nguyen, the team saw the opportunity against one of collegiate golf's juggernauts for anything to happen.
Nguyen paired against the No. 8 ranked Paula Martín Sampedro, overcoming a slow start to lead for a majority of the match. Once again, the match came down to the final hole, with Nguyen setting up the winning birdie with a clutch approach shot on the eighteenth hole.
Nguyen's level-headedness across the week was nothing new according to Fletcher, who praised Nguyen's ability to stay cool across her four-year career regardless of how her round went. She was heralded throughout the championship by many, including Fletcher, who praised her as a team leader that the team rallied behind.
Nguyen instead responded with humility.
"Honestly I really didn't notice it until people were saying that afterwards," she said. "I really don't think [the team] needed that much of a push."
Instead of trying to motivate the team as a leader, Nguyen hoped to get the most out them by doing her part to create a positive environment off the course, going on walks with the team and doing activities to take their minds off of their upcoming matches.
"They were loose," Fletcher said. "They weren't sitting in their room worrying about the match they were going to play."
Fletcher believes Nguyen's ability to detach is a result of the support she's received from her parents across her playing career
"When the golf was over, they were just happy to be around Lauryn as mom and dad," Fletcher recalled, as Nguyen's parents became a mainstay at the Wildcats' tournaments over the last four years.
Nguyen's mother Anna surprised her at the NCAA Championships, arriving the day before the competition started. With Nguyen's brother Alex graduating from Bradley University, Anna attended the ceremony, flew back home to Seattle to grab their dog Mila, and flew down to San Diego to watch her daughter play.
"It was super, super special," Nguyen recalled. "Throughout the year they came to support us. The team was very familiar with them so just being able to see another familiar face in the crowd, that just warms your heart."
Anna's impact was felt almost immediately by the team, even going as far as doing the team's laundry the night before the championship match. Less than 24 hours later, Anna was cheering on her daughter as she brought her team one point closer to victory.
Lauryn Nguyen steps up with a CLUTCH approach on 18 to set up birdie and win the match for Northwestern 1UP. ???? @NU_Sports
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 22, 2025
?? Golf Channel | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/I9M8SoO6xM
"When she sank that putt to win her match, all the emotions came out from her, from me, because it's been a long road," Anna told Golf Channel after the round.
Nguyen leaves Northwestern with an incredible resume, finishing her career as a four-time All-Big Ten golfer, a two-time All-American, and a National Champion, in addition to holding both the single-season and career scoring averages in program history.
Despite all her accolades, it will be off the course where her absence will be felt the most.
"She made me a better coach," Fletcher said. "She made us better people. Her family made us all better and loved on us in a way that really enriched our lives and that's what I most appreciate about Lauryn and will really miss about her."
That sentiment was echoed by Nguyen when looking back on her four years at Northwestern, as the golfer that once loved to collect trophies at a young age now finds herself more concerned about her impact away from the game of golf.
"I think there will always be the numbers and stats about me on the course, but I want to be remembered as a person that was enjoyable off the course," Nguyen said.
Now, Nguyen has her sights on her childhood dream: reaching the LPGA Tour. Nguyen made her debut on the ANNIKA Women's All Pro Tour in July in preparation for Q School in September, where she will attempt to earn an LPGA tour card. Thus far, Nguyen has played in three WAPT events, finishing as high as runner up at the Real Okie Championship in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
For Fletcher, she has all the confidence in the world that Lauryn will be successful in whatever she chooses to do.
"My wants for Lauryn aren't just golf related," she said. "She's got an amazing family and I just want her to be happy. I think regardless of what Lauryn does she'll find a way to continue to contribute to the community and be grateful for her opportunities that she has whether they're going to be in golf or something else. I just want to see her continue to impact her world the way that she has in our world in the last four years."
"There's so much more to her than just golf."
Players Mentioned
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