Bryan Clarke was hired in 2012 as the third women’s golf head coach in University of West Florida history. Clarke, a three-time All-American and member of UWF’s 2001 Division II men’s golf national championship team, returned to his alma mater to lead the Argonauts women’s team.
In just his first season, Clarke led the Argonauts to a comeback year in which they earned the program's seventh Gulf South Conference Championship, which was his first win as a head coach. West Florida earned six top-five finishes, the most since 2009-10, and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2008-09.
His leadership was recognized by coaches around the country, as the Argoanuts earned their highest national ranking since the spring of 2008 by ending 2012-13 as No. 10 in the Golf World/WGCA Division II College Women’s Coaches’ Poll. UWF jumped more than 10 spots nationally over the spring season with four consecutive top-five finishes, including two Division I fields, after ending the fall ranked No. 22.
He also coached Camila Sevillano to her second consecutive individual title at the 2013 GSC Championship, the first player in the history of the event to do so. Clarke's prowess around the course helped Sevillano and Elin Olsson earn GSC Player of the Year and GSC Freshman of the Year honors, respectively, while he picked up GSC Coach of the Year.
Clarke graduated from UWF in 2002 after a successful four-year career with the Argonauts, and he has stayed active in the sport as a player and coach. He is a PGA Class A member, and his most recent position was golf professional at Lakewood Golf Club in Point Clear, Ala. Clarke has also worked at the Hilton El Conquistador Golf Club and Omni Tucson National Golf Resort in Tucson, Ariz., as well as locally at Pensacola Country Club and Tiger Point Golf Club.
As a player, Clarke helped lead the UWF men’s golf program to national acclaim. He earned three top five finishes at the NCAA Division II Championships during his career, including a runner-up title in 2000, and he helped lead UWF to its first national championship in 2001. He earned 19 total top 10s in his collegiate career, including one tournament title at the 2002 NCAA South Regional.
On the national level, Clarke reeled in three first team All-America awards and represented the United States at the 2002 U.S.A. vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship. In 1999, he was a U.S. Open local qualifier and backed it up in 2001 by becoming a U.S. Amateur Sectional Qualifying medalist. Clarke also earned two All-South Region awards and three All-Gulf South Conference first team nods. Clarke landed a spot on the GSC’s All-Decade team for the 2001-2010 term, and in February 2012 he was inducted into the UWF Athletics Hall of Fame.
Clarke graduated from UWF in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. Bryan is married to Gretchen Clarke, and they live in Gulf Breeze, Fla. with their children Chloe and Emorie.
