Bates Named UCO Men's Golf Coach

8/24/2011 5:06:00 PM

Pat Bates

EDMOND (Aug. 24) – Former PGA tour player Pat Bates has been named head coach of the Central Oklahoma men's golf program, it was announced Wednesday by athletic director Joe Muller.

Bates, who has spent the past year as Director of Instruction at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City, will assume his duties immediately as the Bronchos get ready to open the 2011-12 season Sept. 12-13 at the Charles Coody Invitational in Abilene, Texas.

“I'm thrilled to be the new men's head golf coach at UCO,” Bates said. “I look forward to using my past experiences as a player and teacher to help our student-athletes succeed, both on and off the golf course. We want to continue the winning tradition and bring home a national championship to Edmond.”

Bates enjoyed a fabulous playing career, both as an amateur and professional. He was a three-time All-Southeastern Conference pick at the University of Florida and also earned All-America honors in 1989, '90 and '91 before embarking on a 17-year professional career.

Bates played in the European, Canadian and South African tours from 1992-94, spent several years on the Nationwide Tour and played four years on the PGA Tour (1995, 2002-04).

He had 32 top-10 finishes and won five tournaments -- including the 2001 Nationwide Tour Championship -- in 206 Nationwide Tour events and played in 134 PGA tournaments with five top-10 finishes.

Bates ended his professional career in 2007 and worked for Discovery Land Company in Austin, Texas from 2008-10 before going to Gaillardia in May of 2010.

The 42-year-old Bates is married to Kristine, daughter of long-time PGA and Champions Tour member Doug Tewell, and they have three children (John, Kendall and Cooper).

UCO has four starters back from last year's team that was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II for most of the spring and won nine of 13 tournaments, finishing third in the stroke-play portion of the national tournament before losing in the first round of match play.

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