Head Coach Garrett Clegg Receives Contract Extension Through 2027

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah men's golf head coach Garrett Clegg has signed a contract extension through June of 2027, Director of Athletics Mark Harlan has announced. Clegg guided the Utes to their first team appearance at the NCAA Championships since 1988 this past season.  

"The rise of our men's golf program in the Pac-12 and nationally has been a remarkable story, and Garrett Clegg has done a terrific job to chart the path and guide the program's growth," said Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics. "Back-to-back NCAA invitations, and advancing to the NCAA Championships this past season, demonstrates the outstanding leadership of Coach Clegg and the foundation he has built for sustained success."

Clegg heads into his seventh season at the helm of the Utah Utes golf program after returning to his alma mater in May of 2016.

"Thank you to Mark Harlan and his staff for believing in me and wanting me to continue to lead the golf program. I'm extremely fortunate to be around so many incredible young men," head coach Garrett Clegg said. "They have done so much to elevate the status of Utah Golf these past six years and I appreciate their hard work and dedication to the golf program. We are working to build a program that competes at the very highest level and the players make that possible."

Since returning to the U, Clegg has delivered four of the programs 11 regular season tournament titles on record and has guided the Utes to 31 top-five finishes - six of those being runners-up. Over his six seasons, Clegg has coached the team to one tournament win or more in three of those years and picked up Utah's first two-win season in 16 years during 2018-19 campaign. The Utes capped off that successful season with their best finish at the Pac-12 Championships, placing fifth with the second-lowest 72-hole conference championship team score at Utah (1451, +31).  

Clegg has coached and developed five All-Pac-12 selections in Kyler Dunkle (2nd Team, 2019), Blake Tomlinson (All-Freshman, 2018; 2nd Team, 2021; Honorable Mention, 2022), Mitchell Schow (Honorable Mention, 2021), Javier Barcos (All-Newcomer Team, 2021) and Braxton Watts (Freshman Honorable Mention, 2022). Individually, he led Tomlinson and Dunkle to make Utah's first NCAA Regional appearance in 2018 and 2019, respectively, since 2007. Both went on to capture top-10 finishes.

Under his guidance, Clegg has coached multiple players that have posted all-time program bests in lowest season scoring average, career tournament victories, season and career top-10 finishes and low individual and team scores over 18, 36 and 54-holes. Notable records include the Utes setting a new school record carding the lowest 54-hole team score at the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational shooting a combined 823 (41-under), Barcos shooting the lowest 54-hole individual score at the Notre Dame Collegiate (199, 11-under) and Tomlinson sitting in a tie for first with Dunkle for the lowest season scoring average (71.2) and the most tournament victories over their careers, each with three.

Despite not securing a tournament win, Clegg saw his best season in 2021-22. He led the Utes to nine top-five finishes – the most since 2002-03 – and earned their second-best finish at the Pac-12 Championships (T-8th) with the third-lowest team score (1463, +43) at a 72-hole conference tournament.

Playing their best golf at the perfect time, Utah made their second consecutive team appearance at an NCAA Regional and secured their highest finish on record (5th) to punch their ticket to the championships for the first time in 34 years. The Utes were unable to advance to the final stroke-play round after 54-holes, ending their historic season.

In 2020-21, Clegg guided the Utes to their first team regional appearance since 1992 and came up just short of earning a berth to the NCAA Championships. Tristan Mandur was able to qualify as an individual, becoming the second player during the Clegg era to move on to the championships and captured the Utes' highest finish of 17th with the lowest championship score on record at Utah (283, +3). Dunkle was the other athlete to qualify in 2019 and was the first Ute since 2006 to play at the championships.  

A native of Bountiful, Utah, Clegg began his coaching career as an assistant at Washington for four seasons before accepting his first head coaching job on the Palouse at Washington State University. He would spend the next five seasons at WSU before make the move back to the Salt Lake City area.

A 2004 graduate of Utah, Clegg is a Utah men's golf alum and was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference Selection. His two regular-season tournament titles are tied for second all-time at Utah.

 
###