University of Memphis Men's Golf

Blake Smart, who helped the University of Oklahoma's golf program return to being a national contender and previously had unmatched success as head coach at Kennesaw State, was named the men's golf coach at the University of Memphis in July 2014. For Smart, the success he enjoyed at Kennesaw State followed him to the University of Memphis. During his Tigers' career, he has directed the program to an American Athletic Conference Championship and two NCAA regional appearances. Smart began his second season with a team title at the season-opening Memphis Intercollegiate in September 2015. In 2016, the Tigers finished second at the American Athletic Conference Championships, their best finish in a league championship in four years. In May 2016, the Tigers earned a spot in the NCAA Regionals at Kohler, Wisconsin, and finished eighth. Lars van Meijel and Thomas Perrot were named to AAC All-Conference team and van Mejel was chosen as one of 30 semifinalists for the Jack Nicklaus Award. Under Smart's guidance, van Meijel earned Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Division 1 PING All-America honors. He became only the fourth golfer in the program's history to be named all-American, joining HIllman Robbins (1954), Greg Powers (1969) and Steve Metz (1986). van Meijel ended his career with a 71.16 stroke-per-round average, the lowest in school history. In 2017, Smart directed the Tigers to a fifth-place finish at the AAC Championship at Innisbrook, Florida. In July, the team recei