Georgia State Head Coach, 2003-08 (5 seasons)
In five seasons as the head coach of the Georgia State University men’s golf team, Matt Clark brought unprecedented attention to the Panthers’ program and made State a consistent force on the conference, regional and national levels.
After taking the reins of the Georgia State program in the summer of 2003, Clark led the Panthers to two conference titles and to NCAA regional appearances all fives years, advancing to the NCAA Championships three times. Formerly an assistant at the University of Alabama, his alma mater, Clark was twice named conference Coach of the Year, and he led Georgia State to six tournament titles and 32 top-five finishes in his tenure.
Clark has consistently recruited top amateur players from the state of Georgia and the nation as well as from around the world, including 2008 all-America Joel Sjoholm of Gothenburg, Sweden, the 2007 and 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Golfer of the Year. Under Clark’s tutelage, five State golfers have been named PING/GCAA All-Americans, and six Panthers have earned PING All-Region honors.
In addition to his accomplishments as a coach and recruiter, Clark worked tirelessly to market the Georgia State program and increase its profile, both locally and nationally.
Led by Sjoholm, Georgia State enjoyed another successful season in 2008, winning the Colonial Athletic Association title for the second time in three years since joining the league and earning the program's ninth NCAA Regional bid in the last 10 years.
Clark's 2006-07 squad was his best at Georgia State as the Panthers advanced to the NCAA Championshps for the third time in four years.
Behind the play of all-CAA performers in Sjoholm and Mark Haastrup, the Panthers posted a remarkable record of 115-61-5 (.639) on the year. Although they finished second at the CAA Championship, the Panthers garnered an at-large berth in the NCAA Regionals, and then advanced to the NCAA Championships.
The 2005-06 campaign began with an outstanding fall season that saw the Panthers break into the Top 10 of the national rankings and continued as State captured the Colonial Athletic Association crown in its first year in the league.
Under Clark’s guidance, the Panthers earned a Top 10 national ranking in the fall of 2005 after capturing the prestigious Carpet Capital Collegiate, where State defeated 11 of the Top 25 teams in the country. Georgia State roared into seventh-place in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and eighth in the GCAA/Bridgestone Coaches Poll and was ranked fourth by GolfStat.com. In addition to the victory at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, the Panthers placed second at the TOPY Cup in Japan. State was named GolfWeek’s Team of the Week, while Mark Haastrup was named to Golf World’s Mid-Season All-Freshman Team after earning medalist honors at the Carpet Capital Collegiate.
The team’s success continued in the spring with the 2006 CAA championship and an 11th place showing at the NCAA Regional. Clark was named CAA Coach of the Year, the second straight season he was recognized as the top coach in his conference. Panther Mark Haastrup garnered individual recognition as he was named a PING/GCAA second-team All-America.
The 2004-05 season was another memorable year for Clark and the Panthers. Georgia State recorded eight top-five finishes with two victories and shattered numerous school records along the way. The Panthers dominated the Mason Rudolph Championship with a record-setting performance and remained in the national polls throughout the fall season, ending with a final ranking of No. 17.
State continued its strong play under Clark in the spring of 2005 with top-10 finishes in all but two events. In their final season in the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Panthers claimed the conference title, and Clark was rewarded with A-Sun Coach-of-the-Year honors.
The 2005 squad recorded State’s best NCAA regional finish under Clark with a tie for fourth place. After earning their second straight NCAA Championship bid, the Panthers made the “Final 15” cut and finished tied for 13th, giving Clark consecutive Top 15 NCAA finishes in his first two years as head coach.
Senior Steve Tiley earned PING All-America honorable mention honors and was named to the PING All-Region Southeast Team.
In his first year at the helm in 2003-04, Clark immediately made his mark on Georgia State’s golf fortunes, guiding the team to a victory at the 2004 Seminole Intercollegiate for the program’s first tournament title since 2001. Clark’s first Georgia State squad then received an at-large bid into the 2004 NCAA East Regional, where the Panthers finished seventh. That earned State a berth in the 2004 NCAA Championships, at the time just the second in school history, and the Panthers went on to place 11th, which remains the best NCAA finish in Georgia State annals.
Clark mentored Kasper Jorgensen and Ty Harris to PING All-America honorable mention recognition in 2004. Additionally, he organized the 2004 Atlanta Intercollegiate, one of the premier tournaments in college golf where Georgia State finished third in an impressive field, beating No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 6 Georgia Tech.
During his time as an assistant at Alabama, Clark was involved in all aspects of the program, including coaching and recruiting. He also served each year as the tournament director for two home tournaments, the Jerry Pate National and the Conrad Rehling Alabama Spring Invitational. With Clark’s help, Alabama’s golf team advanced to the NCAA East Regional Championships in 2002 and 2003. He also played an important role in the academic development of Crimson Tide players; in his six seasons, the Alabama program boasted five Academic All-Americans and 29 individual Southeastern Conference All-Academic selections.
In August 2003, Clark served a major role as the tournament director for the inaugural Crimson Tide Celebrity Golf Classic. The event, which raised $150,000 for the men’s and women’s golf programs, included former Tide football lettermen Joe Namath, Don Shula, Lee Roy Jordan and Gene Stallings.
The 32-year-old Clark played golf at Alabama from 1994-97, earning his bachelor’s degree in human environmental sciences from the Tuscaloosa campus in 1997. A 1993 graduate of Prattville (Ala.) High School, Clark won the 1992 Dixie Junior Invitational title. As a prep player, he also finished as the runner-up at the 1992 Alabama state high school championships.
