BEAUMONT — Former Kentucky assistant Jessie Mudd has been named as the head coach of the Lamar University men’s golf program announced Director of Athletics Jason Henderson Friday morning.
“We are very happy to have Jessie as our new head coach,” said Henderson. “He helped build a very strong program within the SEC, and we feel like he is one of the top young coaches in the country. Lamar University has a strong history of success in golf, and we believe Jessie can get Lamar back to that level on the men’s side.”
Mudd comes to Beaumont after five seasons at Kentucky where he helped build a program that finished 18th nationally at the NCAA Championships in 2014.
The Wildcats followed that up by sending two more golfers to the
championships this past season.
During Mudd’s time in Lexington, the Wildcats posted 10 top-three tournament finishes including three victories.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Mudd was one of the nation’s top junior golfers earning Kentucky Mr. Golf as a junior and senior, while guiding his high school to three state titles. He was ranked as the nation’s top junior golfer, according to Golfweek Magazine, heading into his final high school season.
Following a standout prep career that saw Mudd earn AJGA Polo All-America honors twice, he was offered a scholarship to the University of Florida.
During his time in Gainesville, Mudd guided the Gators to three top-10
national rankings in four seasons. A former SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, Mudd also received PING All-America honors in 2004.
As a freshman, Mudd carded the fourth-best scoring average by a rookie in school history, earning 15 rounds of even par or better and carding three top-10 finishes.