Army West Point Athletics
Men's Golf
Watts, Brian
Brian Watts
- Title:
- Head Golf Coach
- Email:
- brian.watts@usma.edu
- Phone:
- 3819
As the 16th head coach in the 95-year history of the program, Brian Watts enters his seventh season at the helm of the Army golf program and does so with a pair of recent NCAA Regional appearances under his belt and four-straight wins over service academy rival Navy.
During the 2015-16 season, Watts mentored his team to win the Patriot League Championships in record breaking fashion including individual champion Dean Sakata who led the field by a record-breaking nine-strokes. At the NCAA Regional Tournament, Peter Kim tied for seventh and forced a playoff to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Under Watts, the Black Knights placed in the top-five in all but two tournaments during the 2014-15 season and earned the coveted Star over Navy. Three individuals earned PING All-Region Honors and three garnered All-Patriot League Accolades.
Army West Point began its stellar season with a win in the first outing of the year at the Colgate Invitational. The Black Knights secured the top spot by 11 strokes and had four individuals place in the top-five.
The Cadets then dominated the Midshipmen at the annual Star meet earning a 10-1 victory, the largest margin of victory in the 75 years of competition.
Army West Point won the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational with a team-low of 30-under. At the tournament, three Black Knights ranked in the top-10, while four placed in the top-20, all with under-par finishes. Justin Pagila won the tournament by one stroke and shot a 54-hole total of 205 and finished 11-under par with two eagles and 15 birdies.
The Black Knights capped-off the season with a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championships, just six strokes behind the leader Loyola. Marcus Plunkett, Pagila and Peter Kim were named to the All-Patriot League Teams due to their top-10 finishes.
Kim, Plunkett and Dean Sakata were named to the Northeast PING All-Region Team. They were among 155 players across six regions who earned the honor for the 2014-15 season.
In 2014, Watts led the Black Knights to a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship, with freshman Peter Kim claiming the individual title. Because of his performance, Kim earned a berth to the NCAA Championships at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas, where he shot 5-over (221) to tie for 31st.
In Watts’ first five seasons, Army West Point has a 3-2 record over service academy rival Navy. In the fall of the 2014-15 season, the Black Knights defeated the Midshipmen 9-1 at the West Point Golf Course by the greatest margin of victory in the series’ history.
Watts came to Army West Point from Oregon State and has quickly put his mark on the team during his three seasons.
In his inaugural campaign, Army West Point won the Patriot League Championship, taking the conference title at the Naval Academy Golf Course for its 10th championship. Senior Matt Krembel won the tournament, was named Most Outstanding Golfer and collected his fourth All-Patriot League honor to become Army West Point's seventh individual champion.
Freshman Anthony Kim also collected All-Patriot League honors and joined Krembel on the first team, while Watts was named Coach of the Year as Army earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Cadets made their 24th appearance in the NCAA Championships at the Tucson, Arizona Regional and placed 13th of 14 teams at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort. In a tie for 34th, William Park was Army's top finisher. In addition to league honors, Anthony Kim was also named a PING All-Region selection.
In Watts' second season, Army West Point finished runner-up at the Patriot League championship, losing out on a team NCAA Regional bid by three strokes at the Bucknell Golf Course despite William Park's individual victory.
Park shot two under-par rounds to claim the Black Knights’ eighth individual championship and collected Most Valuable Golfer and first team all-league plaudits along the way. Kim repeated on the first team as well, after tying for fourth.
By winning the tournament, Park earned a spot in NCAA Regionals where he tied for 41st in the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. After opening with a 77, Park fired back-to-back rounds of 72 at the par-71 U-M Golf Course.
Watts' third season on the Banks of the Hudson included a huge victory over Navy, a win at the Service Academy Classic and further Patriot League accolades.
Army tied Air Force to claim team honors at the Service Academy Classic at Trump National Golf Course in Colts Neck, N.J. Kim won the event to help Army to first-place honors for the first time since 1994.
Under Watts' guidance, Marcus Plunkett finished second at the Patriot League Championships and became just the second Black Knight to garner Rookie of the Year accolades.
Plunkett won the Last Chance Classic at West Point Golf Course, giving Army a pair of medalists in Watts' third season.
Watts, a former professional golfer who led Oregon State to five NCAA team appearances in his nine seasons as head coach of the Beavers, was named Army's golf coach in June of 2010.
A 1989 graduate of Western Oregon University, Watts is Army's 18th head golf coach and replaced Jimmy Ray Clevenger, who retired after 20 seasons. Major Chad Bagley and Lt. Col. Rob Kewley served the role of interim head coach when Clevenger announced his retirement in the fall on 2009.
Watts spent 13 seasons at Oregon State, including the last nine as head coach and led the team to four consecutive NCAA Regional berths.
"It is an honor for me and my family and we couldn't be more excited about West Point," said Watts at the time of his hiring. "This is a very special place that is committed to the development of young men and women and I feel that my philosophy parallels that of the U.S. Military Academy. I'm excited to share my passion and experiences with the team and continue building this golf program for many years to come."
During the 2009-10 season, the Beavers ranked in the top 25 and finished 16th at the NCAA Championships at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn. Watts helped guide senior Diego Velasquez to a host of national honors as he tied the course record with a six-under-par 66 on the way to a fourth-place finish and a first team All-America selection.
Watts steered Oregon State to NCAA Regional appearances in each of his final four seasons, including a fourth-place finish in 2009-10.
Among his many coaching accomplishments, Watts was responsible for eight tournament titles, 11 individual championships, coached one Pac-10 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and led two players who participated in the NCAA Leadership Conference. Oregon State not only experienced NCAA success under Watts but in the Pac-10 as well, placing as high as third and in the top eight on nine occasions.
The Beavers also collected accolades for their work in the classroom. In each of his first nine seasons, at least one Beaver was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team with a total of 29 players earning honors.
Before being named head coach at Oregon State, Watts served as an assistant for both the men's and women's teams at OSU, helping guide both programs to NCAA appearances.
Prior to embarking on his coaching career, Watts spent four years on various professional tours, including the Golden State Tour, the Space Coast Tour and the Canadian PGA Tour.
After attending Oregon State for one year as a recruited football player, Watts earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Western Oregon State College (now Western Oregon University) in 1989.
A native of Reedsport, Ore., Watts also boasts administrative experience serving as the Tournament Director for the 2000 NCAA Women's Golf Championships. His teaching experience includes stints as the assistant professional at the Spring Hill Country Club and De Bell Golf Course.
Watts and his wife Carrie have three daughters: Madeline (18), Olivia (16) and Alexandra (12). The family resides at West Point.
In his years guiding the Black Knights' program, Watts led the team to two Patriot League Championships, mentored four individual conference champions, has taken both the team and two individuals to the NCAA Regional Tournament and has been named the Patriot League Coach of the Year twice. Additionally, he was named the 2015 Northeast Regional Coach of the Year.
Throughout his time as head coach, Watts has led 10 golfers to All-Patriot League First Team honors and six to All-Patriot League second team honors. He has also coached four Patriot League Player of the Year recipients, two Patriot League Rookie of the Year honorees, a GCAA/PING Academic All American and eight GCAA/PING All-Region recipients.ÂDuring the 2015-16 season, Watts mentored his team to win the Patriot League Championships in record breaking fashion including individual champion Dean Sakata who led the field by a record-breaking nine-strokes. At the NCAA Regional Tournament, Peter Kim tied for seventh and forced a playoff to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Under Watts, the Black Knights placed in the top-five in all but two tournaments during the 2014-15 season and earned the coveted Star over Navy. Three individuals earned PING All-Region Honors and three garnered All-Patriot League Accolades.
Army West Point began its stellar season with a win in the first outing of the year at the Colgate Invitational. The Black Knights secured the top spot by 11 strokes and had four individuals place in the top-five.
The Cadets then dominated the Midshipmen at the annual Star meet earning a 10-1 victory, the largest margin of victory in the 75 years of competition.
Army West Point won the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational with a team-low of 30-under. At the tournament, three Black Knights ranked in the top-10, while four placed in the top-20, all with under-par finishes. Justin Pagila won the tournament by one stroke and shot a 54-hole total of 205 and finished 11-under par with two eagles and 15 birdies.
The Black Knights capped-off the season with a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championships, just six strokes behind the leader Loyola. Marcus Plunkett, Pagila and Peter Kim were named to the All-Patriot League Teams due to their top-10 finishes.
Kim, Plunkett and Dean Sakata were named to the Northeast PING All-Region Team. They were among 155 players across six regions who earned the honor for the 2014-15 season.
In 2014, Watts led the Black Knights to a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship, with freshman Peter Kim claiming the individual title. Because of his performance, Kim earned a berth to the NCAA Championships at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas, where he shot 5-over (221) to tie for 31st.
In Watts’ first five seasons, Army West Point has a 3-2 record over service academy rival Navy. In the fall of the 2014-15 season, the Black Knights defeated the Midshipmen 9-1 at the West Point Golf Course by the greatest margin of victory in the series’ history.
Watts came to Army West Point from Oregon State and has quickly put his mark on the team during his three seasons.
In his inaugural campaign, Army West Point won the Patriot League Championship, taking the conference title at the Naval Academy Golf Course for its 10th championship. Senior Matt Krembel won the tournament, was named Most Outstanding Golfer and collected his fourth All-Patriot League honor to become Army West Point's seventh individual champion.
Freshman Anthony Kim also collected All-Patriot League honors and joined Krembel on the first team, while Watts was named Coach of the Year as Army earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Cadets made their 24th appearance in the NCAA Championships at the Tucson, Arizona Regional and placed 13th of 14 teams at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort. In a tie for 34th, William Park was Army's top finisher. In addition to league honors, Anthony Kim was also named a PING All-Region selection.
In Watts' second season, Army West Point finished runner-up at the Patriot League championship, losing out on a team NCAA Regional bid by three strokes at the Bucknell Golf Course despite William Park's individual victory.
Park shot two under-par rounds to claim the Black Knights’ eighth individual championship and collected Most Valuable Golfer and first team all-league plaudits along the way. Kim repeated on the first team as well, after tying for fourth.
By winning the tournament, Park earned a spot in NCAA Regionals where he tied for 41st in the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. After opening with a 77, Park fired back-to-back rounds of 72 at the par-71 U-M Golf Course.
Watts' third season on the Banks of the Hudson included a huge victory over Navy, a win at the Service Academy Classic and further Patriot League accolades.
Army tied Air Force to claim team honors at the Service Academy Classic at Trump National Golf Course in Colts Neck, N.J. Kim won the event to help Army to first-place honors for the first time since 1994.
Under Watts' guidance, Marcus Plunkett finished second at the Patriot League Championships and became just the second Black Knight to garner Rookie of the Year accolades.
Plunkett won the Last Chance Classic at West Point Golf Course, giving Army a pair of medalists in Watts' third season.
Watts, a former professional golfer who led Oregon State to five NCAA team appearances in his nine seasons as head coach of the Beavers, was named Army's golf coach in June of 2010.
A 1989 graduate of Western Oregon University, Watts is Army's 18th head golf coach and replaced Jimmy Ray Clevenger, who retired after 20 seasons. Major Chad Bagley and Lt. Col. Rob Kewley served the role of interim head coach when Clevenger announced his retirement in the fall on 2009.
Watts spent 13 seasons at Oregon State, including the last nine as head coach and led the team to four consecutive NCAA Regional berths.
"It is an honor for me and my family and we couldn't be more excited about West Point," said Watts at the time of his hiring. "This is a very special place that is committed to the development of young men and women and I feel that my philosophy parallels that of the U.S. Military Academy. I'm excited to share my passion and experiences with the team and continue building this golf program for many years to come."
During the 2009-10 season, the Beavers ranked in the top 25 and finished 16th at the NCAA Championships at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn. Watts helped guide senior Diego Velasquez to a host of national honors as he tied the course record with a six-under-par 66 on the way to a fourth-place finish and a first team All-America selection.
Watts steered Oregon State to NCAA Regional appearances in each of his final four seasons, including a fourth-place finish in 2009-10.
Among his many coaching accomplishments, Watts was responsible for eight tournament titles, 11 individual championships, coached one Pac-10 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and led two players who participated in the NCAA Leadership Conference. Oregon State not only experienced NCAA success under Watts but in the Pac-10 as well, placing as high as third and in the top eight on nine occasions.
The Beavers also collected accolades for their work in the classroom. In each of his first nine seasons, at least one Beaver was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team with a total of 29 players earning honors.
Before being named head coach at Oregon State, Watts served as an assistant for both the men's and women's teams at OSU, helping guide both programs to NCAA appearances.
Prior to embarking on his coaching career, Watts spent four years on various professional tours, including the Golden State Tour, the Space Coast Tour and the Canadian PGA Tour.
After attending Oregon State for one year as a recruited football player, Watts earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Western Oregon State College (now Western Oregon University) in 1989.
A native of Reedsport, Ore., Watts also boasts administrative experience serving as the Tournament Director for the 2000 NCAA Women's Golf Championships. His teaching experience includes stints as the assistant professional at the Spring Hill Country Club and De Bell Golf Course.
Watts and his wife Carrie have three daughters: Madeline (18), Olivia (16) and Alexandra (12). The family resides at West Point.
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