Men's Golf
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- mgolfmail@gators.ufl.edu
- Phone:
- 4700
Associate Head Coach – Seventh Season at Florida
John Handrigan is in his seventh season at the University of Florida and his first full season as the Associate Head Coach. Handrigan was appointed to the post on February 3, 2016. The 2017-18 school year marks Handrigan’s fourth working alongside head coach JC Deacon after three campaigns assisting Buddy Alexander. Handrigan has helped lead the Orange and Blue to six tournament victories during his tenure.
Under Handrigan’s aid in 2016-17, the Gators grabbed five team victories, nine top-5 finishes and 11 top-10 finishes while earning a national seed in the program’s 53rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Alejandro Tosti and Sam Horfield became the ninth and 10th players in Handrigan’s tenure to receive All-America honors as both made the PING and Golfweek lists. After two sudden death playoff holes, Tosti won the individual championship at the SEC Tournament.
In the 2015-16 season, Handrigan helped the team continue to improve under Deacon coaching the Gators to two tournament victories, nine top-5 finishes and 11 top-10 finishes. Handrigan also aided in the team’s enhanced postseason performance, seeing Florida tie for third in the SEC Championship, tie for second in the NCAA Regional and finish 15th overall in the NCAA Championships. The individual results also progressed greatly as the Gators tallied four tournament wins, four runner-ups and 22 top-10s.
Handrigan’s coaching played a hand in Florida’s award season success. Sam Horsfield won the Phil Mickleson Award and SEC Freshman of the Year while also being named First Team Ping All-America, GCAA All-Freshman Team, PING All-Southeastern Region Team, All Nicklaus Team, and All-SEC. He also saw Gordon Neale be named a Ping All-America Honorable Mention and Alejandro Tosti named to the PING All-Southeastern Region Team.
During the 2014-15 season, Handrigan aided Florida to earn runner-up honors four times and finish in the top-five six times. UF combined for 34 top-25 finishes and 14 top-10 finishes, with three Gators placing in the top five multiple times. Handrigan’s Gator squad made its 51st appearance at the NCAA Championships after placing fourth at the NCAA Regional Championship. Handrigan’s successful season was capped off when he won the prestigious Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf in April of 2015 after the Golf Coaches Association of America chose him as the national assistant coach of the year. The Strickland Award is presented to the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, or NJCAA assistant coach who has excelled working with his student-athletes, both on and off the course.
Prior to the postseason, Handrigan coached A.J. Crouch to collect UF’s first victory in an individual contest since 2012. J.D. Tomlinson earned spots on the PING Honorable Mention All-America Team, PING All-Southeast Region Team and second team All-SEC, while Alejandro Tosti received Freshman All-SEC accolades.
During the 2013-14 season, the Gators collected six top-10 finishes. Florida was represented by Tomlinson at the NCAA East Regional. Eric Banks notched four top-20 performances that year.
In 2012-13, Handrigan helped the team to eight top-five finishes including a victory. For his efforts, he was named a finalist for the 2013 Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. The Gators advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 13th-consecutive year, the longest active streak in the country at that time. Seniors Tyler McCumber and T.J. Vogel both earned All-America accolades for the second-straight season, while McCumber ended his Gator career with the 14th-best career stroke average in program history.
In Handrigan’s opening year at Florida, the program tied for 12th at the 2012 NCAA Championships, placed second at the NCAA East Regional and third at the SEC Championship. Additionally, the Gators won a trio of tournaments and saw a pair of golfers earn All-American honors. McCumber, an honorable mention All-American and second-team All-SEC honoree, tied for second at the NCAA Championship. Vogel captured a couple of individual medalist honors on the season en route to being named a second-team All-American and a first-team All-SEC selection, while Tomlinson was named to the All-Freshman team.
Before arriving in Gainesville, Handrigan served as the assistant men’s golf coach at the University of Kansas, where he aided the Jayhawks to reach new heights during his two seasons. Handrigan coached the team to a pair of tournament victories in 2010 and a top-50 national ranking. Under his tutelage, the Jayhawks saw a pair of players reach the NCAA Regional in 2010 and 2011. Handrigan was instrumental in obtaining a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified training staff for golf-specific workouts for the Kansas program.
Prior to Kansas, Handrigan served as the head men’s and women’s golf coach for two seasons at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina where he was named the Conference Carolinas 2009 Women’s Golf Coach of the Year after leading a team that set school records for individual and team low rounds.
Before Queens, Handrigan was the head men’s golf coach at Coker College in Hartsville, S.C. While with the Cobras, Handrigan directed the program to its first NCAA Division II National Championship in 2006 while also earning NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. He piloted the Cobras to four consecutive NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournaments, winning the tournament in 2006. Handrigan also led Coker to the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Championship in 2006 and was honored as the CVAC Coach of the Year in 2005.
Handrigan went to Coker after serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. He got into coaching immediately following a successful playing career where he was the squad’s golfer of the year four times and was named the school’s 2000 Male Student-Athlete of the Year following his senior season.
Handrigan, who competed on the Canadian Golf Tour, is a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America, an NCAA Registered Recruiter, served as the Chairman of the PING All-Region Selection Committee and is a member of the GCAA/Bridgestone Coaches’ Ranking/Selection Committee.
The John Handrigan File:
Hometown: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada
Education: Bachelor of Science – Business Management, Saint Francis University, 2000
Master of Science – Business Administration, Saint Francis University, 2002
Coaching Career:
- Assistant Coach, Saint Francis University, 2000-03
- Head Coach, Coker College, 2003-07
- Head Coach, Men’s & Women’s teams, Queens University, 2007-09
- Assistant Coach, Kansas University, 2009-11
- Assistant Coach, University of Florida, 2011-2016
- Associate Head Coach, University of Florida, 2016-present
Coaching Honors:
- Jan Strickland Award Winner (2015)
- Finalist for the Jan Strickland Award (2013)
- Conference Carolinas Women’s Golf Coach of the Year (2009)
- NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year (2006)
- Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Coach of the Year (2005)
Playing Career:
- Saint Francis University, 1997-2000
- Canadian Tour, 2001
- Great Lakes Tour, 2000-03
Playing Honors:
· All-Northeast Conference Selection (1998)
· Runner-up at the Northeast Conference Championship (1998)
