NORMAN, Okla. – After leading the Auburn Tigers to one of the most dominant seasons in the history of collegiate golf, men's golf head coach Nick Clinard was named the winner of the 2024 Dave Williams Division I National Coach of the Year Award presented by Golf Pride Grips, the GCAA and Golf Channel announced Tuesday.
"It is an honor to now be in this select club," Clinard said. "All of the credit goes to the players over the past 15 years that have helped build our program to what it is today. This award represents the long nights, long practices, early morning workouts and a group of young men that share a vision and a dream. I'm extremely grateful to be selected for this prestigious award."
As the National Coach of the Year, Clinard was also named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year for the second time in his tenure and first time since 2018.
Over the course of the 2023-24 season, Clinard's players set a new program record with 10 tournament wins, double the amount of wins from the previous record. Auburn won seven straight to finish the year, including the SEC Championship, a regional championship and the NCAA Championship. The Tigers are the first SEC team to capture all three major postseason event titles since 2014.
Auburn lost just nine times in 14 tournaments to amass a 185-9-1 head-to-head record. Against opponents from the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers were 46-1-1. For his outstanding success in the league, Clinard was voted the 2024 SEC Coach of the Year.
Under Clinard's leadership, Auburn players captured five All-SEC honors, SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, four All-Region honors, two invitations to Palmer Cup's Team USA, the Ben Hogan Award, the Fred Haskins Award, the Jack Nicklaus Award, the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award and two first team All-America recognitions.