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January 30
PEPPERDINE
Pepperdine head coach Laurie Gibbs has signed a contract extension through the 2028 season, announced Director of Athletics Steve Potts.
“Laurie Gibbs is the heart and soul of Pepperdine women’s golf,” said Potts. “She has built a program that consistently competes for championships and has done so with the utmost integrity. We are fortunate to have Laurie continue to lead and teach the amazing young women in our program.”
Gibbs was named the first full-time head coach in the program’s history in 1993 and is currently in her 30th season at the helm. She was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in December 2015. She was selected the 2004-05 National Golf Coach of the Year by Golfweek and has been named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year 14 times.
The Waves have played in the NCAA finals 12 times, with eight top-10 finishes and four top-five showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003.
Gibbs has led Pepperdine to 19 WCC Championships in the last 24 tournaments, including a streak of 14 titles that ran from 2002-15. Over the course of her career, the Waves have won 55 team tournament titles and have had 56 individual medalist honors.
“I am blessed to have been the Pepperdine women’s golf coach since 1993,” said Gibbs. “Our success has been the result of so many wonderful people at the university, the golf courses that have allowed our team to play and those that have given the financial support to allow us to compete against the best teams in the country. Without outstanding young ladies competing for our team and representing the university with the highest integrity, my journey as their coach would have ended long ago. I welcome the challenge to continue our success and validate Dr. Potts’ decision to offer me an extension.”
January 26
HARVARD
Naree Song, who has been associate head coach for Harvard women’s golf since 2015, has been named head coach. Song is the third head coach in program history. Kevin Rhoads, who has spent 18 seasons as the women’s golf head coach and 10 with the men’s program, will continue to coach the men’s team.
Song had a decorated playing career and quickly became one of the top junior golfers in the world. She won her first professional event, the Thailand Ladies Open, at the age of 14. She also went on to win three AJGA major championships and became a two-time AJGA First Team All-American. She competed in her first U.S Women’s Open at the age of 14 where she took low-amateur honors.
Song attended the University of Florida at the age of 17 and after one semester turned professional and competed on the Symetra and LPGA tours, winning one event on the Symetra Tour in 2004.
Due to illness and injury, she retired from professional golf and turned to education at Rollins College where she assumed the Assistant Women’s Golf Coach position.
December 22, 2022
ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State has announced the extension of the contracts of Missy Farr-Kaye and Matt Thurmond into the 2027-28 athletic season.
Thurmond was hired at Arizona State in the summer of 2016 after a successful coaching record at Washington. The Sun Devils are currently ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings heading into the spring season.
“Coach Thurmond has put us back in NCAA championship discussions with back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time in three decades and has done a fantastic job with our alumni, former players and the golf community,” said Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson. “Much of the success of the NCAA championships at Grayhawk and our relationship with Golf Channel has to do with his ability to connect with so many people. We hired a proven head coach when we hired Matt, and that is shown in his ability to lead other coaches in our department. It is also incredible he decided to earn an ASU master’s degree while coaching… he not only survived what the pandemic threw at all of us, he thrived.”
Farr-Kaye played her college golf for the Sun Devils, was an assistant coach at Arizona State and now the head coach. In 2017, she completed the trifecta, winning her third NCAA national championship as a Sun Devil – first as a player (1990), then as an assistant coach (2009), and now as a head coach (2017).
“We hired Missy Farr-Kaye and she then won a national title, because as a player and assistant coach she knew the path. Her squads are always in the top-10, she is incredible with the alumni and since she has won an NCAA title as a Sun Devil player, assistant coach and head coach, she truly is one of the best Sun Devils of all-time,” said Anderson.
November 14, 2022
LONG BEACH STATE
Long Beach State has announced the hiring of Rob Murray as the 12th head coach of the Long Beach State men’s golf program. Murray comes to Long Beach State after serving as an assistant coach at Kansas State for the last six seasons. The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 19 in the Golfweek/Sagarin college rankings.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rob as the new Head Men’s Golf Coach at Long Beach State University,” said Interim Director of Athletics Ted Kadowaki. “We love Rob’s competitive drive and desire to build a program of sustained excellence, to build relationships with the community, and lead the program with integrity.”
Prior to Kansas State, Murray worked at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa for four years. His first two years were spent as an assistant coach as he helped the squad capture the 2014 and 2015 NJCAA Division I National Championships. He was subsequently promoted to head coach where he was named 2017 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year as the team was the National Runner-up at the 2017 National Championship. Additionally, Murray coached the 2017 Individual National Champion, Ricky Sanders, who went on to win the 2017 Phil Mickelson Award.
A native of Colchester, Essex in England, Murray made his way to the United States in 2007 to play collegiately at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix.
Assistant Coach Reilly Hegarty led the team this fall after Michael Wilson left to take over at Colorado State this summer. Long Beach State is ranked No. 65 after the fall season.
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