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The University of Utah announced Tuesday that it has hired Garrett Clegg as its new men's golf coach.
Clegg, a former standout golfer for the Utes, takes over the program after the retirement of 12-year coach Randall McCracken.
"We had a very strong pool of candidates interested in the position and we are very excited that Garrett and his family have decided to make their way back to Utah," men's golf administrator Jimmy Soto said in a statement. "Garrett's understanding of the Pac-12 landscape, along with his passion for The U of U is a great fit for our university and the men's golf program."
A native of Bountiful, Clegg is returning to Salt Lake City after serving as coach for five seasons at Washington State. Under Clegg's guidance, the Cougars recorded six regular-season tournament titles and 15 top-five finishes.
"I am beyond thrilled for this opportunity to return to my alma mater to coach the Utah golf team," said Clegg in a statement. "I would like to thank Dr. Chris Hill and Jimmy Soto for giving me this opportunity to build a program that will compete with the very best in our conference and in the country. Salt Lake City has an incredible golf community that whoever came out to the Pac-12 Championships last week at The Country Club witnessed firsthand."
WSU notched three, top-10 finishes at Pac-12 Championship Tournaments under Clegg, which included a ninth-place finish at the 2016 Championships just this past weekend at The Country Club in Salt Lake City. The Cougars managed to move up three spots following the first two rounds of play and went on to post its second-lowest stroke total in the five previous championship tournaments under his direction.