The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Golf
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
One of the most accomplished golfers in University of Texas history and an 18-year LPGA veteran, Kate Golden is in her 14th season on the women’s golf coaching staff at her alma mater, currently serving as associate head coach.
Golden has helped return the Longhorns to among the nation’s elite programs. Together with head coach Ryan Murphy over the past nine seasons, Golden helped the Longhorns win three consecutive Big 12 Conference Championships (2017-19) for the first time in program history, and advance to each of the last seven NCAA Championships. In 2018-19, Texas posted its best NCAA Championship finish [T-5th] since 2003. After the cancellation of the 2019-20 NCAA Championship due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Longhorns advanced to the quarterfinals of match play for a second straight championship in 2020-21, earning back-to-back top-five national finishes.
In the 2022-23 season, Golden helped the Longhorns to their seventh straight NCAA Championship appearance and a tied for fifth place finish. Texas is one of four programs who have advanced to the last seven NCAA Championships. The Longhorns finished second place in the stroke play portion of the 2023 NCAA Championship. Texas won the Cactus Cup and the Big 12 Match Play Championship.
In the 2021-22 season the Longhorns captured their fourth Big 12 Championships in the last five seasons. Freshman Bohyun Park led Texas with a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. The Longhorns finished runner-up at the NCAA Albuquerque Regional to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships, where they finished in 13th place. Park earned WGCA All-America Second Team honors.
Since the start of the 2014-15 season, she has helped Texas golfers record 18 of the best 19 18-hole scores in program history, and each of the top-10 54-hole totals in school annals. Each of the top 18 18-hole team scores and the top-20 54-hole team scores in program history have been accomplished during that time.
Golden returned to the Forty Acres in advance of the 2010-11 season as a volunteer assistant coach. In total, she has worked with teams that have advanced to six NCAA Championships and have won four Big 12 Conference Championships. She has helped mentor several All-America selections in Bertine Strauss [2015], Sophia Schubert [2017 and 2018], Kaitlyn Papp [2018, 2019, 2020], Hailee Cooper [2019], Agathe Laisne [2019] and Sophie Guo [2020].
Golden joined the Texas staff after serving as the interim women’s golf head coach at Florida State during the spring 2010 season. Under her tutelage, the Seminoles finished in 10th place at the 2010 NCAA Championship to earn their best national finish since winning the 1981 AIAW Championship. Additionally, Golden guided FSU to a No. 14 finish in the national rankings by GolfStat and a No. 22 showing in GolfWeek’s season-ending standings after inheriting a team that was unranked in both polls.
Prior to her stint in Tallahassee, Golden was a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Houston men’s golf team.
Competing in the LPGA from 1992-2010, Golden’s professional career included a victory at the 2001 State Farm Classic, appearances in more than 30 major championships and nearly $1.5 million in career earnings. En route to the State Farm Classic title, Golden set a then-tournament record of 21 under par during the 72-hole event. She totaled eight top-five finishes and 14 top-10 showings.
A 1989 University of Texas graduate, Golden was a four-year member of the women’s golf team under former Hall of Fame head coach Pat Weis. She earned second-team All-America honors in 1989 and was a three-time All-Southwest Conference first-team selection [1987-89]. Golden was named to the Southwest Conference All-Decade Team for the 1980s and won three collegiate events during her career.
The 1987 Southwest Conference individual champion, Golden is the daughter of Texas Ex Joe Bob Golden, the 1954 Southwest Conference men’s golf individual champion. The Goldens were the only father-daughter tandem in the history of the Southwest Conference to win individual conference titles in the same sport. Joe Bob Golden played at Texas for Harvey Penick from 1952-54 and served as his assistant while attending law school at UT.
A former member of the LPGA Board of Directors and the LPGA Player Committee, Golden is currently on the Board of Directors for the charitable organization Golfers Against Cancer.
