Melissa Luellen is entering her tenth season as Auburn's head women's golf coach in 2024-25. She came to Auburn after spending the previous 13 years as the head coach at Arizona State, leading the program to an NCAA title in 2009, and then two years prior to that as the head coach at the University of Tulsa.
While at Auburn, Luellen guided the Tigers to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championship from 2019-2022, including a top-four finish in 2019 and 2022.
Auburn captured two tournament victories during the 2023-24 season at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic and the NCAA Auburn Regional and finished within the top-5 in nine tournaments. The team recorded the best team scoring average in program history (287.35) and tied the second-lowest 18-hole score in program history at the Mason Rudolph Championship (274). The Tigers finished the stroke play portion of the SEC Championship and reached the quarterfinal round of match play. The team reached match play at the NCAA Championship for the fourth time since 2019 and finished the season as national quarterfinalists. Freshman Anna Davis was awarded second-team WGCA All-American and WGCA All-Freshman team honors while Davis, Megan Schofill and Casey Weidenfeld were tabbed second team All-SEC.
During the 2022-23 season, the Tigers finished in the top-5 in nine of 11 events played with two victories at the prestigious East Lake Cup in Atlanta and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Georgia. The team captured a second place finish during the stroke play portion of the 2023 SEC Championship and earned the team's sixth consecutive NCAA Regional bid and the 28th in program history. The team set the second lowest all-time overall scoring average (290.73), par-4 scoring average (4.16), par-5 scoring average (4.89) and the lowest all-time par-3 scoring average (3.14). The Tigers also set the record for lowest 54-hole team score (835) as well as the second lowest 18-hole team score (274) at the Illini Women’s Invitational.
Senior Megan Schofill received the program's 12th first-team All-American honor following the 2022-23 season and was a first team All-SEC member as well. Schofill and junior Elina Sinz each earned individual victories at the Mason Rudolph Championship and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, respectively. Junior Anna Foster received a second-team All-SEC nod and Casey Weidenfeld became the 10th Auburn golfer to be named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
In the 2021-22 season, the Tigers captured seven top five finishes and won the stroke play portion of the SEC Championship. They went on to finish in a tie for third at the NCAA Stillwater Regional and finished as a semifinalist at the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale.
In 2019-20, the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In seven tournaments, Auburn finished top five in five of them and won the Lake Oconee Invitational. Kaleigh Telfer and Megan Schofill both earned individual medalist honors with Telfer winning the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and Schofill taking first at Lake Oconee.
The 2018-19 season proved to be a breakthrough season for Auburn under Luellen. Not only did the team finish as a national semifinalist, they also captured two tournament victories: the Battle at the Beach and the Shootout at Shoal Creek. The Tigers tied for third in the SEC Championship, making it to the semifinals of match play, and they placed fifth in the NCAA Auburn Regional to earn their spot in the NCAA Championship.
Individually, four different players won titles in 2018-19 with Anika Bolcikova (Magnolia Invitational), Kaleigh Telfer (Battle at the Beach), Brooke Sansom (Shootout at Shoal Creek) and Julie McCarthy (Clemson Invitational). It’s the first time that’s happened since the 2011-12 season.
Julie McCarthy, who finished with the sixth-lowest stroke average per round (72.90) in single-season history, earned First-Team All-SEC and Honorable Mention All-American honors while teammate Brooke Sansom was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
In 2017-18, Luellen’s third season on The Plains, Auburn made its first trip back to the NCAA Championship since 2013 after finishing third in the NCAA Austin Regional. The Tigers placed fifth or better in five tournaments and also earned one individual title (Kayley Marschke, Lake Oconee Individual Championship). Senior Kelli Murphy was named to the All-SEC Second Team, and Kaleigh Telfer made the All-SEC Freshman Team.
During her very successful tenure at Arizona State, Luellen led the program to an NCAA team title, 10 NCAA Top 10 finishes, two conference championships and 25 team titles. She also coached one NCAA Individual Champion, three Pac-12 Golfers of the Year, three NGCA Freshmen of the Year, 14 All-Americans and 21 individual tournament medalists.
Luellen's coaching accomplishments have earned her several personal coaching honors. After the Sun Devils' NCAA Championship run in 2009, she was named SkyCaddie NGCA National Coach of the Year. Luellen was also named Pac-10 Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2007, 2009) and West Regional Coach of the Year four times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009). While at Tulsa, Luellen was named Central Regional Coach of the Year in 2002 and WAC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002.
Luellen's golfers have also achieved excellence in the classroom. NCAA Champion Azahara Munoz became the first two-time winner of the Edith Cummings Munson Award, which is given to the All-American with the highest grade point average. The following year, Sun Devil Juliana Murcia won the same honor.
In her two seasons as Tulsa's head coach, Luellen led her alma mater to seven tournament titles including back-to-back Western Athletic Conference and NCAA Central Regional championships in each year. The 2001-02 season saw her team win five tournaments, including the 2002 PING/ASU Championship at Karsten Golf Course, earn a No. 3 national ranking for most of the season, and finish 12th at the 2002 NCAA Championships. Luellen was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in each of her two seasons and was the 2002 Central Regional Coach of the Year.
A four-time All-American for the Golden Hurricane, Luellen succeeded her mother, Dale McNamara, who retired in 2000 following a 26-year career that included four national championships.
