Kevin McPherson, a Conway native, was named the men's' golf head coach on Sept. 24, 2013.
Prior to coming to Coastal, McPherson spent two seasons from 2011-13 as the head men's coach at Augusta State after serving as the assistant coach for the Jaguars' back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2010 and 2011. He additionally served as the Jaguars' head women's golf coach from 2008-11.
Under McPherson's guidance in 2014-15, Ben Wheeler and Andrew Dorn enjoyed an outstanding senior season. Both were tabbed All-Big South, both earned at-large berths to the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, and both were selected to play in the prestigious Jones Cup Invitational. Dorn was a co-medalist at the Hootie @ Bulls Bay while Wheeler's season scoring average of 72.43 was the sixth-best in school history, trailing only Dustin Johnson (three times), Zack Byrd, and Sebastian Soderberg.
In his first season at the CCU helm in 2013-14, Wheeler and Dorn were named All-Big South, while Olle Widegren earned a spot on the Big South All-Freshman team. Wheeler and Dorn each won their first collegiate events, marking the first time CCU teammates won medalist honors in the same year since 2009-10. Wheeler was the Big South Champion, shooting a 211, 5-under par, while Dorn became the first Chanticleer to win the program's own General Hackler Championship, shooting a 216, even par. Wheeler (automatic) and Dorn (at-large) each received berths to the NCAA Raleigh Regional where Dorn shot a career-low 67 in the final round to move up from 52nd to 15th overall.
In his year as Augusta State's men's head golf coach, McPherson guided the Jaguars to the 2012 NCAA Athens Regional and nearly advanced to the NCAA Championships after a seventh-place finish. Taylor Floyd also just missed an individual berth to the NCAA Championship by placing eighth at the NCAA Regional with a 212, 1-under par.
In year two, Augusta State was ranked among the nation's top 50, including a high of 34th by Golfweek at season's end but missed out on an at-large selection to the NCAA Regional field. However, Maverick Antcliff and Alex Wennstam represented the Jaguars as individuals at the NCAA Florida State Regional.
In his three years at the helm of the women's program, the Lady Jaguars registered two victories and 15 top-five finishes in 29 events, including five individual medalists. He additionally played a vital role as assistant men's coach during the Jags' victory at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla.
During the 2010-11 season, McPherson led the Lady Jaguars to their second NCAA Regional appearance in the program's 10-year history when they earned an at-large bid to the East Regional in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Jaguars posted a 301.53 stroke average for the regular season, which marked a school record and represented nearly an eight-stroke improvement from the time McPherson took over the program.
Under McPherson, the Augusta State women's program set school records for the lowest team round (284, 4-under par) at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate on Feb. 21, 2010 and the lowest 36-hole team total of 582 (289-293) in the 2011 Insperity Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate.
McPherson came to Augusta State after spending two seasons (2006-08) as the men's and women's assistant coach at the University of Central Florida.
During his tenure in Orlando, McPherson aided in all aspects of the Golden Knight men's and women's programs, including recruiting, academic monitoring, scheduling, and individual instruction, as well as hosting three intercollegiate tournaments. While at UCF, McPherson worked with a men's squad that advanced to postseason play in both 2007 and 2008, while the Golden Knight women's program earned an NCAA East Regional bid in 2008 as well.
Prior to joining the Central Florida staff, McPherson held two other positions within the golf industry. He served as an assistant professional at both the International Club of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet from 2000-02 and at Burning Ridge Golf Club in Myrtle Beach from 1998-2000.
A 2006 graduate of Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., McPherson earned a bachelor's degree in sports management. During his career at The Abbey, McPherson was a Carolinas Conference (formerly Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference) All-League selection. He served as team captain as a senior and helped lead the Crusaders to consecutive NCAA Atlantic Regional berths.
McPherson began his collegiate career at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Fla., and led BCC to back-to-back NJCAA National Championship appearances.
A 1998 graduate of Conway High School, McPherson's golf pedigree comes honestly. His younger sister, Kristy, is an accomplished LPGA Tour star who was a member of the victorious 2009 United States Solheim Cup team. She gained fame by participating in Golf Channel's reality series "Big Break VI" and she served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Lady Jags during the 2011 NCAA East Regional in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Â
