TCU Golf Update: What's Happening In The Golf World

A look into what is new with both the TCU Men's and Women's Golf teams. Both teams have had some exciting news take place recently!
TCU Athletics

Bill Montigel named Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year

Former TCU men's golf head coach, the legendary Bill Montigel, was named Big 12 Conference Co-Coach of the Year by the Big 12 Conference. Each year the award is voted on by the ten head coaches of the Big 12. This was Montigel's eighth in his impressive thirty-six-year career. 

He has now coached in five different conferences and has won an award in each of those conferences. Montigel was the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1990, Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1997, Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2009, and Conference USA Coach of the Year four times between 2002-2005. All are well deserved.

Coach Montigel brought a new style of coaching to TCU and left a lasting impact on the team and TCU as a whole. The Men's Golf team had a solid season this past season, winning the Grand Canyon Invitational and the Seahawk Intercollegiate. TCU carried the momentum to finish as the runner-up at the Big 12 Conference Championship. The Horned Frogs then advanced to the NCAA Regional in Auburn, Alabama, finishing in ninth place overall. Thank you for everything you have given to TCU. Your legacy will forever be remembered and carried on!

TCU alum Cole Buck as the new associate head coach

Cole Buck may sound familiar, as he played golf at TCU and graduated in 2017. He returns home after two and a half seasons as the assistant coach at Stanford. 

"I could not be happier with Coach Buck joining the Frogs as associate head coach," said new head coach Bill Allcorn. "As a former player and alumni, he has a deep love for TCU and wants to see our program reach new heights. We share the same vision of how to build the program, and we can't wait to make it happen." 

Buck has a pretty impressive resume. This past season, he helped the Cardinal win the Pac-12 Championship, finished second at the Las Vegas Regional, and finished tied for eighth at the NCAA Championships, just slightly missing out on advancing to match play. Stanford also won the Fighting Illini Invitational and the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate. 

In the 2021-22 season, Buck helped the Cardinal win the Colonial Collegiate Invitational in Fort Worth. Stanford had three more runner-up finishes that season and a total of seven Top 5s. Stanford advanced to the NCAA Championships after a second-place finish at the Stockton Regional. Stanford star Henry Shimp was named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year that season.

Buck also was partially responsible for developing Michael Thorbjornsen into one of the top players in the country. The two-time All-American and 2023 Pac-12 Golfer of the Year was a finalist for the Haskins and Ben Hogan awards. His 69.26 scoring average was the second-best in program history. 

Cole Buck also had previous coaching experience before Stanford; he served as the assistant coach at Lipscomb from 2019-20 and was the head coach at Wagner from 2017-19. Buck is definitely familiar with the Fort Worth area and TCU, as he played for TCU during the 2013-14 season under Bill Montigel. 

After playing, he served as head men's and women's junior varsity golf coach and varsity assistant coach at Trinity Valley High School in Fort Worth. Buck also spent time at TCU as a coaching intern with strength and conditioning. He is a well-rounded coach who has pretty much done it all in his young career. Buck spent his final three years of high school at the prestigious Jim McLean Golf Academy in Arlington, Texas, where he also has experience working in internal operations. 

Buck has also worked with the AJGA, served as Kids Across America Director of Golf at Payne Stewart Memorial Center, and served as a Mackenzie Tour caddy in 2018. Look for Allcorn and Buck to make a huge jump immediately. We are super excited to have you back in Fort Worth and at TCU!

Angie Ravaioli-Larkin Signs a Three-Year Extension 

Coming off a great season and TCU's first back-to-back NCAA National Championship appearances since 2007-08, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jeremiah Donati announced that head women's golf coach Angie Ravaioli-Larkin would receive a contract extension through the 2025-26 season. 

The news comes as she continues to elevate the program to high levels. She even has evidence to back it up by finishing 20th at the NCAA Championships and third place at the Big 12 Championship, TCU's highest finish in eight years. Ravaoili-Larkin has been quite impressive at TCU, as she has led the program to 18 postseason appearances since the 2001-02 season. 

"I am so grateful for the support and loyalty TCU has shown me over the years," said Ravaioli-Larkin. "I am honored and thrilled to continue my journey as a proud member of our prestigious Frog Fam. I could not be happier as I am truly blessed to coach some of the best players in the world, have amazing support from our prestigious Fort Worth golf courses, and work alongside the best coaches and support staff in college athletics." 

With Ravaoili-Larkin at the head, the program has had 26 NCAA Postseason appearances and 20 wins during her time in Fort Worth. She is the longest-tenured head coach at TCU, finishing her 28th season with the Horned Frogs. She doesn't look to stop all the hard work now. We can't wait to see what's next for this team! Congratulations, Coach Angie Ravaoili-Larkin!


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Published
Nathan Cross
NATHAN CROSS

Nathan (Nate) Cross is a current TCU student (Class of 2025), avid golfer, and a Horned Frog sports enthusiast. He enjoys anything sports-related such as writing, following all stats, and player movements. Additionally, he is always up for a good sports debate.