Lauri Merten (born July 6, 1960) is an American professional golfer. She also competed under the names Lauri Peterson (1983-87) and Lauri Merten-Peterson (1988).

Merten was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She attended Arizona State University and joined the LPGA Tour in 1983.

Merten's three wins on the LPGA Tour came at the 1983 Rail Charity Golf Classic, the 1984 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic and the 1993 U.S. Women’s Open, which is one of the LPGA's major championships. 1993 was her best year on the money list, with a sixth place finish, the only time she made the top ten. Her LPGA Tour career came to its end in 1997.

When she retired, Merten claimed burnout was the cause. Another factor was undoubtedly the unwanted attention surrounding the murder conviction of her brother-in-law, Thomas Capano, in 1996.