Brian Craig

A native of Gastonia, North Carolina, Coach Brian Craig was most recently college golf coach at the University of Kentucky. He propelled the Kentucky Men’s Golf program to unparalleled heights, leading the team to three top-10 NCAA finishes in 2004, 2005, and 2006, along with clinching the school’s inaugural Southeastern Conference title in 2005.

Under Craig’s stewardship, the Kentucky men’s golf program achieved almost immediate success. Since its inception in 1930, the Wildcats college golf team had only managed to finish in the top half of the SEC Championship a mere 12 times. Nearly half of those accomplishments came during Craig’s tenure. He also led the men’s golf team to 7 NCAA Championship appearances.

Highlighting his tenure at Kentucky, Coach Craig led UK to its first SEC Championship in 2005, culminating in a remarkable fifth-place finish at the NCAA tournament in 2006, the highest in school history. He was also awarded SEC Coach of the Year, and the Eaton Golf Pride Regional Coach of the Year for the Midwest Region on two separate occasions.

Before joining UK, Craig honed his coaching skills during a two-year tenure leading the University of Central Florida’s golf team. Under his guidance, the Golden Knights achieved notable success, securing a second-place finish in the 2001 Trans America Athletic Conference Tournament. Craig’s impact was evident from the outset, with his inaugural recruiting class in 2000 yielding four nationally ranked golfers, three of whom earned spots on the TAAC’s All-Freshman Team, including the league’s Freshman of the Year.

Prior to assuming his first head coaching role, Craig served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida, his alma mater, for two years (1997-99). During his time as a Gator assistant, Craig mentored two All-Americans and seven All-SEC golfers, playing a pivotal role in guiding Florida to the 1999 SEC Championship.

Craig was assistant coach at the University of Florida, his alma mater, for two years (1997-99). As an assistant coach at UF, Craig mentored two All-Americans and seven All-SEC golfers, including 1999 SEC Player of the Year Steve Scott. Coach Craig also helped guide Florida to the 1999 SEC Championship.

Prior to his college golf coaching career, Brian graduated from UF with honors in economics and played three years of professional golf. He competed in numerous mini-tour events, winning the Powerbilt Tour Northwoods Championship and the Future Majors Tour Harbor Hills Championship. In 1994, Coach Craig competed in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh and finished sixth at the Jamaican Open. He finished 11th on the 1995 Powerbilt Tour money list and  a 15th-place ranking on the Golden Bear Tour money list in 1996.

Coach Craig’s college golf career ranked among the best in University of Florida history for most top-10 finishes. He received Academic All-SEC honors 3x and was honored as an Academic All-American during his senior season. Craig’s team at Florida was one of the most successful teams in school history as the Gators claimed runner-up honors at the 1990 NCAA Championships. Florida also won three SEC Championships in Craig’s four years, as well as the 1992 NCAA East Region Championship title.

As a junior golfer, Coach Craig was ranked the fifth-best junior golfer in the nation. As an amateur golfer, he advanced to the semifinals of the Carolinas Amateur Championships, won the Carolinas Junior Championship and won the Insurance Youth Classic; earning him an exemption into the 1988 PGA Tour Houston Open.

Craig has been married for 27 years to his college sweetheart, Tami. They reside in Lexington, Kentucky with their three children, Katie Beth, Carson and Philip.