McPhaul Named East Carolina Head Men's Golf Coach
January 26, 2006 | Men's Golf
Jan. 26, 2006
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Press McPhaul has been named head men's golf coach at East Carolina University according to an announcement from athletics director Terry Holland Thursday.
McPhaul, who currently heads the Vanderbilt men's golf program, will officially assume his position at ECU after the completion of the 2006 spring season.
Holland followed McPhaul's hiring by appointing former Pirate golfer and football standout Kevin Miller as interim coach for the spring semester to immediately succeed Kevin Williams, who resigned Dec. 31, 2005 to become head golf professional at Walnut Creek Country Club in Goldsboro, N.C. after guiding ECU golf for over 10 years.
In five years as Vanderbilt's head coach, McPhaul led the Commodores to three consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament team berths, a first in school history, and a pair of NCAA Championship Tournament showings in 2003 and 2004. Since the 2000 season, Vanderbilt has been represented in NCAA Regional play each year by team or individual participation, and has finished in the top four at the Southeastern Conference Championships twice in the last four years. In addition, the Commodores have also won four regular season tournaments during the McPhaul era and have been ranked among the nation's best teams.
"Press McPhaul is one of the most respected young golf coaches in intercollegiate athletics," Holland said. "He has done a tremendous job of building a highly competitive program at Vanderbilt. The position here at ECU includes fundraising and administrative responsibilities that will allow Coach McPhaul to use all of his considerable skills to contribute to this department in many ways. Coach McPhaul and his wife, Lynn, grew up in Pirate families from eastern North Carolina and I am personally looking forward to welcoming them home as soon as his duties at Vanderbilt are completed."
McPhaul has helped Vanderbilt continue to add to its outstanding facilities by overseeing the installation of the new two-acre Varsity Practice Facility at its own Vanderbilt Legends Club Course in August, 2004.
"We are excited about moving back to a part of the country that my family is passionate about and that we call home," McPhaul said. "I grew up an ECU fan and spent a lot of weekends watching Pirate sports as a kid. I'm also excited about working for Coach Holland and the other Pirate members as well as adding on to the strong foundation that Kevin Williams started and also working alongside Kim Lewellen, whom I've known for a while."
Recognized as one of the best recruiters in the country, McPhaul has coached student-athletes that have received four All-America and four Academic All-America selections. Current Commodore Luke List earned All-America honors as a freshman and has played in three professional majors (two U.S. Opens and one Masters), as well earning second-place honors at the 2004 U.S. Amateur.
McPhaul has also been adept at developing talent, overseeing the transformation of Brant Snedeker to become one of the nation's elite golfers during the 2002 season. Snedeker earned first-team All-America honors and was named SEC's Golfer-of-the-Year in 2002.
Other Vanderbilt "firsts" since McPhaul's arrival include the program's first All-America selection (Snedeker/2002, 2003) and first All-SEC player (Snedeker/2001, 2002, 2003). McPhaul also helped Mark Donnell tie for medalist honors in just his third collegiate tournament at The Adams Cup.
A native of Sanford, N.C., McPhaul played at North Carolina State from 1991-96. He was a member of the Wolfpack's NCAA Tournament teams which finished eighth in 1995 and won the 1996 East Regional. The 1996 co-captain also participated in three NCAA tournaments (1993, 1995, 1996).
Most recently, McPhaul has been a contender in a variety of major amateur tournaments, mostly in Tennessee and North Carolina.
McPhaul is married to the former Lynn May of Farmville, N.C., and the couple has a one daughter, Anna (1).
Miller, a 2002 graduate of East Carolina, earned two letters in golf and four in football for the Pirates. On the green, he participated in four spring events with his best finish (t-28) coming at the 2003 Wofford Invitational (74-78=152). He also caddied two years on the PGA Tour (2003, 2005) and participated in the U.S. Amateur during the summer of 2004. On the gridiron, Miller earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team and Freshman All-America accolades and finished his career as ECU's all-time leading scorer.
"Kevin is unique in today's world of big-time athletics," Holland stated. "He not only lettered in two sports in college, but excelled in both. As the all-time leading scorer in Pirate football history and as a member of the golf team, Kevin is representative of the excellence we seek across the board at ECU. We are very pleased for the young men on our golf team that he has agreed to serve as the interim coach this spring."
"I'm really excited about the opportunity to step in and assist the men's golf program and Press during the spring season," said Miller. "It is an honor that Coach Holland and Kevin (Williams) thought of me during this transition period and I will work hard to help continue the strong tradition that Kevin has established."
The Pirates will open up spring play Feb. 27 when they travel to Hilton Head, S.C., to participate in the Wexford Intercollegiate tournament.
