Andrew Sapp

Andrew Sapp enters his first season as head coach of the Purdue men's golf program in the 2024-25 season.  Sapp has served as the assistant coach for the last two seasons and takes over for Rob Bradley, who left Purdue earlier this week for the head coaching position at South Carolina. Purdue is coming off two of its best seasons in school history, reaching the National Championships in 2024 and a spot in top 40 in the final regular-season rankings and a Regionals appearance in 2023. “I am thrilled to become the Men’s Golf head coach at Purdue. Having coached at Purdue with the previous two head coaches in Coach Brouse and Coach Bradley, I know what it takes to continue the tradition of Purdue Golf and keep it moving forward,” Sapp said. “I am extremely thankful to Mike Bobinski and Tim House for putting their trust in me.  The backing that Purdue has for its golf program is tremendous and the support from the Kampen family, the Cosler family, the Ackerman family, the Allen family and the Spurgeon family has given us the best collegiate golf facilities in America. I love Purdue and I love the players we have assembled on this team and I look forward to continuing to work with them to help them grow and improve as they represent this great university.” “Andrew’s resume in college golf speaks for itself. He is in an elite class of Big Ten head coaches who have taken a team to match play at the NCAA Championships,” said Tim House, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director and Associate Vice President for Development. “More important to Mike Bobinski and me though, is the elite character we have seen him display with our young people. We are excited to support Coach Sapp as he continues the tradition of excellence for the Purdue men’s golf program.” With Sapp’s help during the 2023-24 season, the Boilermakers reached the National Championships for the first time since 2017, while winning a pair of events in the fall season. Purdue’s two victories equaled its most since the 2015-16 campaign (three wins). Two players (Herman Sekne and Nels Surtani) were named All-Big Ten and PING All-Midwest Region with Sekne winning Purdue’s first Big Ten Golfer of the Year honor since 2002 (Lee Williamson). This past season, the Boilermakers posted the second-best stroke average in school history (287.57), while the 2022-23 season produced the third-best stroke average to date (287.77). The Boilermakers set a 54-hole scoring record (814) while winning the Windon Memorial Classic last fall and owned three, 54-hole scores of 842 or better, the most in school history. His tutelage was instrumental in the development of returnees Kent Hsiao, Nels Surtani and Sam Easterbrook. Hsiao was playing his best golf late in the season, leading after 36 holes at NCAA Regionals and then posting Purdue’s highest finish at the National Championships since 2004 with a 34th-place finish. Surtani earned All-Big Ten and All-Midwest Region accolades after winning the elite Puerto Rico Classic and placing 10th at NCAA Regionals. Lastly, Easterbrook posted back-to-back top-five finishes late in the spring at Calusa Pines and Ohio State and finished his season with the fourth-best freshman stroke average in school history. Sapp brought a wealth of coaching experience to Purdue after having head coaching stints at East Carolina (2017-21), his alma mater North Carolina (2012-17) and the University of Michigan (2002-11). He was a part of the Purdue coaching staff from 1998 to 2002. Sapp also served as the President of the Golf Coaches Association of America from 2016-18. Sapp began his coaching career at North Carolina in 1993, helping the Tar Heels to five straight NCAA Championship appearances and a 10th-place finish in 1997. Following that year, he came to Purdue, then helping the Boilermakers to a seventh-place finish in the NCAA Championships, while assisting with Purdue’s last All-American before Sekne (Lee Williamson). Purdue also won Regional titles in 2001 and 2002, and helped guide the women’s team to a ninth-place showing at the 2000 NCAA Championships. In 2002, he was named Michigan’s head men’s golf coach, leading the Wolverines to a pair of top-10 national championship finishes in 2011 (10th) and 2009 (3rd). His 2011 squad won the 2011 NCAA Central Regional championship and he recruited and signed the nation’s No. 7-ranked golfer in high school. Almost 20 years later, Sapp still remains just one of three coaches to lead a team to the match play portion at the NCAA Championships. In addition, he created the vision, assisted in the design and helped raise funds for a $2.5 million indoor practice facility at Michigan. Sapp was named North Carolina’s head coach in 2011, improving the program’s ranking from 73rd in 2011 to 26th in 2017. The Tar Heels reached the 2017 NCAA Championships placing 18th and recruited and signed four of the top-10 nationally-ranked high school junior golfers. In 2017, Sapp was hired at East Carolina, leading the Pirates to two team titles and signing two nationally-ranked top-100 players. While at East Carolina, he coached three players into the top five of the program’s all-time career stroke average list. Sapp earned a pair of degrees from UNC, a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1993 and a master’s in sports administration in 1996. An avid golfer still, Sapp competed in the 2022 U.S. Senior Open and narrowly missed qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Senior Open. He and his wife Laura have one son, Connor.