LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock Athletics has named Austin Eoff as the new head coach of the Little Rock men's golf team, as announced by the Athletic Department today. Eoff joins the Trojans after previously being the head coach at Central Arkansas.
"I am excited to get started at Little Rock and want to thank Mr. George Lee and those involved for this opportunity," said Eoff. "The Little Rock golf program is a huge part of the local golfing community and we are fortunate to play some of the best golf courses in the entire country. I look forward to working with this team, which has accomplished so much in the last three years, and taking them to new heights in the future. Go Trojans!"
What to Know About Coach Eoff
Eoff joins Little Rock after leading UCA's Luke Sienkiewicz to the ASUN All-Freshman team. Under Eoff's leadership, Sienkiewicz earned ASUN Player of the Week on March 23rd, 2023. This was the first weekly or monthly conference honor for UCA since March 2017. Eoff also signed two of the top 35 players in Europe to Central Arkansas for the upcoming season's class according to European Golf Rankings.
Prior to joining the Bears, Eoff was the Assistant Men's Golf Coach at Purdue University.
In 2021-22, Purdue recorded one of its best seasons in school history, setting a school record for most under- or even-par rounds (17) and stroke average (286.63). The Boilermakers finished the season ranked 28th in the final Golfweek rankings, the Boilermakers' highest ranking since finishing 18th in 2002. Purdue, which was ranked in the Golf Coaches Association of America top-25 for most of the season, had three players earn All-Big Ten accolades for the first time since 1981 and were paced by Herman Sekne and Joe Weiler, who both earned first-team accolades. During the course of the season, Purdue defeated NCAA Championship qualifiers Georgia, Ole Miss, Kansas, Arizona, Florida State, Ohio State, Liberty, East Tennessee State and Charleston and won its first tournament since the fall of 2019, when it won the Marquette Intercollegiate. Individually, Sekne finished the season second in school history in stroke average (71.17) and won four Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors -- the second most in league history. Weiler and Cole Bradley also ended incredible careers with Weiler being one of five players in Purdue history to be named first-team All-Big Ten twice during their careers (Bill Hoffer, Lenny Hartlage, Lee Williamson, Pariya Junhasavasdikul).
In 2020-21, Purdue put itself in contention for an NCAA Regionals appearance, but the loss of the fall season hurt the Boilermakers. Joe Weiler and Cole Bradley were named PING All-Midwest Region. Bradley reached the NCAA Championships final round, placing 39th and earning Honorable Mention All-American honors in the process. Weiler earned a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships, Purdue's highest finish since 2007.
In 2019-20, a young Purdue roster was in position to make another NCAA Regionals appearance before the worldwide pandemic hit. The Boilermakers won the Marquette Intercollegiate and finished second at the season-opening Island Resort Intercollegiate. Junior Joe Weiler was named All-Big Ten and to the PING All-Midwest Region team while posting the fourth-best stroke average in school history (72.05). Purdue's 290.38 team stroke average ranked fifth in school history.
In the spring of 2019, Eoff helped Purdue to a strong finish to reach NCAA Regionals for the sixth straight year. The Boilermakers played their best golf late in the season, finishing second at the Big Ten Championships, their best finish since the 2001 season. Along the way, Purdue ranked second in school history in team stroke average (288.74), recorded the most rounds under par in school history (15) and had three players rank in the top seven of individual single-season stroke average.
Eoff was a vital part in the improvement of Rutgers' golf program in the 2017-18 season. With his help, the programs' two rookies – Christopher Gotterup and Oliver Whatley – shined during their first collegiate seasons. Gotterup – a PING All-Northeast selection during his first collegiate season – carded a top-20 finish at the Big Ten Championships and was the program leader in top individual finishes with five. Whatley claimed an individual title at the Janney Invitational during the fall, as both Gotterup and Whatley co-led the team with 33 rounds played.
Eoff had an outstanding career at Purdue, graduating in 2017. One of three players in school history to earn four All-Big Ten honors, Eoff finished his career as the all-time leader in stroke average (72.82) and was fourth in top-10 finishes (19). He played the most events in school history (54), setting school records in rounds in the 60s (24), rounds of even-par or better (65), rounds of 75 or better (125 of 148 career rounds) and most birdies (441). During his sophomore year, he posted a 72.44 stroke average to rank fourth on the single-season chart and he currently ranks fourth, 10
th, 11
th and 19
th on the single-season stroke average list.
He set a Purdue record for most consecutive top-10 finishes with eight, spanning the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
What They're Saying About Coach Eoff
"We are very excited about the opportunity to add Austin as our Men's Head Golf Coach. He was a highly decorated student-athlete and has continued to succeed during his coaching career. He checked every box that our committee was looking for in a new coach, and I look forward to seeing him take our Men's Golf program to new heights." Director of Athletics George Lee
"I followed Austin Eoff's career as a Junior Golfer in Arkansas, an All Big Ten collegiate star at Purdue, and his success as a college golf coach to date. It appears he has everything it takes to lead the Trojan Men's Golf team on its upward trajectory toward the elite of college golf." Wyn Norwood
"I'm very excited that we were able to get Austin to be the Head Men's Golf Coach at UA Little Rock. He has a very impressive background as a collegiate golfer and then as an assistant and head coach. When you add in that he's from central Arkansas with ties to the community, it's an added bonus for the golf program and the department. I believe under Austin's leadership that our Men's Golf program has a very bright future and I can't wait to see where he takes it."
- Dan Snider
#LittleRocksTeam
