Texas Tech University Athletics
Women's Golf
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- matt.whall@ttu.edu
Matt Whall returns for his fourth season as an assistant women’s golf coach at Texas Tech after helping lead the Lady Raiders to two NCAA Championships appearances already in his tenure.
In Whall’s three seasons, Tech has advanced to a NCAA Regional each year, including those two trips to the national tournament which came in 2015 and 2017. During that time, Tech has finished in the top 10 a total of 32 times, including two first-place finishes.
Whall’s impact on the Lady Raiders was felt immediately as Tech earned a program-best fifth place finish in the 2015 NCAA Championships. The Lady Raiders, who were making just their second all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, used a strong final round to overcome a five-shot deficit and advance past the stroke play portion as one of the top eight teams.
Tech fell to Duke in the quarterfinal round of match play, ending an historic season in a tie for fifth after the Lady Raiders began the spring ranked as high as 68th nationally. Part of Tech’s success stemmed from its work on the greens where the Lady Raiders led the country with 570 birdies.
During the 2015-16 season, Whall once again helped lead the Lady Raiders to another NCAA Regional appearance. In addition, he also assisted Gabby Barker in tying the single-season school record with a 72.3 strokes average that eventually earned the sophomore 2016 Big 12 Player of the Year accolades and honorable mention All-America honors.
Tech claimed two team titles during Whall’s second season as the Red Raiders won the Henssler Financial Intercollegiate in late March and then protected their home course to run away with the Red Raider Invitational crown in April.
Barker recorded two of Tech’s four individual titles on the year with wins at the Jim West Challenge and Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational to start the season. Sarah Brown added a win at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic while Lauren Mason claimed medalist honors at the Hennssler Financial Intercollegiate.
The 2017-18 season saw the Lady Raiders return to the NCAA Championships after defending its home course with a fifth-place finish in the NCAA Lubbock Regional. Whall and head coach JoJo Robertson mentored a young lineup throughout the season as Tech was led by a pair of juniors and then four players who were classified as either a freshman or sophomore.
Sofia Garcia, the lone freshman on the team, shined throughout the season as she put together one of the best freshmen campaigns of any player in the country. The Paraguay native ended the year with a 73.6 scoring average that marked the sixth-lowest in program history and the lowest ever for a Tech freshman.
Prior to his arrival at Tech, Whall spent most of the last decade as a coach on the amateur circuit in his native United Kingdom where he was part of the England Golf coaching staff for the Under-16 Regional Girls squad.
In addition to his coaching accomplishments, Whall is certified as a PGA Advanced Professional and is also a Trackman Level 2 certified instructor and club fitter for many of the sport’s top brands.
As a player, Whall spent time on the England mini professional tour after a successful career as an amateur that led to him to turning pro at just 18 years old. He graduated from the University of Loughborough in the United Kingdom and spent time learning much of the coaching and teaching aspects of the game from mentor and former Palmer Cup coach for England, David Ridley.
Whall resides in Lubbock with his wife, Jenny. The couple is expecting their first child this fall.
