Texas Tech University Athletics
Men's Golf
James Vargas
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- james.vargas@ttu.edu
The 2026-27 academic year will mark James Vargas’ fourth season as associate head coach for the Red Raiders' men’s golf team. Head coach Greg Sands appointed him to the position on June 13, 2023.
A native of Miami and former Florida student-athlete, Vargas is widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in college golf, a reputation further reinforced this past May when he was named a finalist for the 2026 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award by the Golf Coaches Association of America — a prestigious honor given annually by the GCAA to the nation's top collegiate assistant coach.
Since Vargas’ arrival, Texas Tech has made two NCAA Championship appearances, including a 10th-place finish in 2025 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, the program’s sixth top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships in program history. Texas Tech has also earned nine Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar selections, seven PING All-Central Region honors, and five PING All-America honors during his first three seasons on campus.
A key asset for the Red Raiders on the recruiting trail, Vargas’ professional background provides a unique perspective in developing student-athletes. His impact has been highlighted by unprecedented success for an already high-achieving program, including Texas Tech placing three players — Adam Bresnu, Connor Graham, and Tim Wiedemeyer — on the 2026 All-Big 12 First Team, marking the first time in program history the Red Raiders have placed three golfers on the first team in the same season. The same trio was named to the 2026 NCAA Division I PING All-America Teams, announced by the GCAA.
The Red Raiders were led by the three aforementioned players during the 2025-26 season, who each finished inside the individual top 35 in the Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings, with Texas Tech finishing No. 6 nationally in the team rankings. The Red Raiders recorded a victory at the 2026 Valspar Collegiate Invitational, along with eight additional top-five finishes. The team set a tournament record at the Valspar with a 45-under 807, defeating top-ranked Auburn by six strokes in a field that included three other top-10 teams.
Texas Tech fell just short of qualifying for the 2026 NCAA Championship, missing out by four shots at the NCAA Corvallis Regional, snapping its five-year streak of advancing to nationals. The 2025-26 season marked Vargas’ third year on Sands’ staff after helping guide Texas Tech to back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances in his first two seasons.
In 2024-25, his second season with the program, the Red Raiders advanced to their fifth consecutive NCAA Championship and finished 10th at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa after reaching the final round of stroke play for the first time since 2022. Texas Tech also placed among the top teams in the Big 12 Championship and earned its NCAA Championship berth through the Urbana Regional.
In his first season on staff in 2023-24, Texas Tech recorded two tournament victories and six top-five finishes while advancing to the NCAA Championships after a third-place finish at the Baton Rouge Regional. The Red Raiders finished the season ranked 17th nationally, with Calum Scott and Baard Skogen earning PING All-America honorable mention recognition. Vargas has contributed to the development of multiple All-Big 12 and All-America Scholar selections and helped mentor then-freshman Connor Graham, who became the program’s first GCAA All-Freshman Team selection at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
Vargas joined the Red Raiders after two seasons at the University of Arizona, where he helped guide the Wildcats to the NCAA Bryan Regional title and the program’s first NCAA Championship appearance since 2011. During his tenure, Vargas helped mentor multiple all-conference selections, including Christian Banke, who earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors in 2021-22, and Chase Sienkiewicz, who earned Second Team All-Pac-12 honors in both seasons. In 2022-23, Arizona won its home tournament (the Arizona NIT) for the first time since 2003, as freshman Zach Pollo earned co-medalist honors, becoming the first Arizona freshman to win a tournament since 2004.
After a professional career spanning more than a decade, with much of his time on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, where he recorded two third-place finishes, totaling seven top-10 finishes, he also played in three PGA Tour events and eight events on the Web.com Tour, which is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour. Vargas transitioned to college coaching, starting at nearby North Texas, where he was hired by then-head coach and former Florida assistant Brad Stracke on July 25, 2019.
During his two seasons with the Mean Green, Vargas helped mentor 2021 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and individual medalist Vicente Marzilio, who later transferred to Texas Tech for his final collegiate season during Vargas’ first year with the Red Raiders. North Texas finished second at the 2021 C-USA Championship and also featured All-C-USA Third Team selection Lenny Bergsson and All-Freshman Team selection Nikhil Gopal.
Vargas played his collegiate golf at the University of Florida, graduating in 2006 as a three-time All-American after leading the Gators to a runner-up finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships. The Florida native was also an All-SEC Second Team selection and a PING All-Southeast Region selection. Florida finished inside the top two of the SEC in three of his four seasons, including a 2003 Southeastern Conference title.
Vargas and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters, Cassidy and Evelyn.
JAMES VARGAS COACHING HISTORY
2023-26 – Texas Tech Associate Head Coach (3 seasons)
2021-23 – Arizona Assistant Coach (2 seasons)
2019-21 – North Texas Assistant Coach (2 seasons)
A native of Miami and former Florida student-athlete, Vargas is widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in college golf, a reputation further reinforced this past May when he was named a finalist for the 2026 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award by the Golf Coaches Association of America — a prestigious honor given annually by the GCAA to the nation's top collegiate assistant coach.
Since Vargas’ arrival, Texas Tech has made two NCAA Championship appearances, including a 10th-place finish in 2025 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, the program’s sixth top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships in program history. Texas Tech has also earned nine Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar selections, seven PING All-Central Region honors, and five PING All-America honors during his first three seasons on campus.
A key asset for the Red Raiders on the recruiting trail, Vargas’ professional background provides a unique perspective in developing student-athletes. His impact has been highlighted by unprecedented success for an already high-achieving program, including Texas Tech placing three players — Adam Bresnu, Connor Graham, and Tim Wiedemeyer — on the 2026 All-Big 12 First Team, marking the first time in program history the Red Raiders have placed three golfers on the first team in the same season. The same trio was named to the 2026 NCAA Division I PING All-America Teams, announced by the GCAA.
The Red Raiders were led by the three aforementioned players during the 2025-26 season, who each finished inside the individual top 35 in the Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings, with Texas Tech finishing No. 6 nationally in the team rankings. The Red Raiders recorded a victory at the 2026 Valspar Collegiate Invitational, along with eight additional top-five finishes. The team set a tournament record at the Valspar with a 45-under 807, defeating top-ranked Auburn by six strokes in a field that included three other top-10 teams.
Texas Tech fell just short of qualifying for the 2026 NCAA Championship, missing out by four shots at the NCAA Corvallis Regional, snapping its five-year streak of advancing to nationals. The 2025-26 season marked Vargas’ third year on Sands’ staff after helping guide Texas Tech to back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances in his first two seasons.
In 2024-25, his second season with the program, the Red Raiders advanced to their fifth consecutive NCAA Championship and finished 10th at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa after reaching the final round of stroke play for the first time since 2022. Texas Tech also placed among the top teams in the Big 12 Championship and earned its NCAA Championship berth through the Urbana Regional.
In his first season on staff in 2023-24, Texas Tech recorded two tournament victories and six top-five finishes while advancing to the NCAA Championships after a third-place finish at the Baton Rouge Regional. The Red Raiders finished the season ranked 17th nationally, with Calum Scott and Baard Skogen earning PING All-America honorable mention recognition. Vargas has contributed to the development of multiple All-Big 12 and All-America Scholar selections and helped mentor then-freshman Connor Graham, who became the program’s first GCAA All-Freshman Team selection at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
Vargas joined the Red Raiders after two seasons at the University of Arizona, where he helped guide the Wildcats to the NCAA Bryan Regional title and the program’s first NCAA Championship appearance since 2011. During his tenure, Vargas helped mentor multiple all-conference selections, including Christian Banke, who earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors in 2021-22, and Chase Sienkiewicz, who earned Second Team All-Pac-12 honors in both seasons. In 2022-23, Arizona won its home tournament (the Arizona NIT) for the first time since 2003, as freshman Zach Pollo earned co-medalist honors, becoming the first Arizona freshman to win a tournament since 2004.
After a professional career spanning more than a decade, with much of his time on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, where he recorded two third-place finishes, totaling seven top-10 finishes, he also played in three PGA Tour events and eight events on the Web.com Tour, which is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour. Vargas transitioned to college coaching, starting at nearby North Texas, where he was hired by then-head coach and former Florida assistant Brad Stracke on July 25, 2019.
During his two seasons with the Mean Green, Vargas helped mentor 2021 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and individual medalist Vicente Marzilio, who later transferred to Texas Tech for his final collegiate season during Vargas’ first year with the Red Raiders. North Texas finished second at the 2021 C-USA Championship and also featured All-C-USA Third Team selection Lenny Bergsson and All-Freshman Team selection Nikhil Gopal.
Vargas played his collegiate golf at the University of Florida, graduating in 2006 as a three-time All-American after leading the Gators to a runner-up finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships. The Florida native was also an All-SEC Second Team selection and a PING All-Southeast Region selection. Florida finished inside the top two of the SEC in three of his four seasons, including a 2003 Southeastern Conference title.
Vargas and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters, Cassidy and Evelyn.
JAMES VARGAS COACHING HISTORY
2023-26 – Texas Tech Associate Head Coach (3 seasons)
2021-23 – Arizona Assistant Coach (2 seasons)
2019-21 – North Texas Assistant Coach (2 seasons)
Saturday, May 16
Sunday, September 21
Sunday, May 25
Sunday, May 25
