Georgia Tech Men's Golf

Heppler would certainly meet the standard. His peers recognized this in 2013 when they inducted him into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. Tech is currently on a run unprecedented in school history and perhaps unmatched by any other in Division I - eight Atlantic Coast Conference titles in the last 11 years and four trips to match play at the NCAA Championship in the last seven. Heppler has guided the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Championship every year since 1998, and helped author 11 top-8 finishes in the Finals, including three runner-up showings. Tech has advanced to match play at the NCAA Championship for the four times in the eight years the format has been used, and is one of only two programs that have advanced to match play four times. During his tenure, Tech has won or shared 11 Atlantic Coast Conference titles. Only two ACC coaches have led their teams to more ACC titles than has Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have captured or shared 46 team titles overall. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014 for the eighth time, more than any coach in ACC history except one, and was a finalist for the GCAAs Dave Williams national coach of the year award. Since 2000, the Yellow Jackets have finished in the top 10 of the final Golfstat rankings 11 times, and in the final Golfweek/Sagarin top 10 13 times. Tech did not finish lower than 14th in either ranking in any year from 2000 to 2015. In a July, 2015 poll of his coaching peers conducted by Golfweek magazine, Heppler ranked No. 3. His program was ranked No. 2 among College Factuals ranking of the best colleges to play golf, taking into account both the quality of the golf team, as well as the academic success of the players and the quality of the school. Heppler has recruited and developed his share of star players as well. The Yellow Jackets have had at least a pair of All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees in 16 of the last 18 years, and landed four members of the team on the squad twice (2005, 2011). Tech has had at least two players earn All-America honors 14 of the last 17 years, and Ollie Schniederjans became the programs 20th and 21st first-team selections in his junior and senior years. Three of his players, Matt Kuchar, Bryce Molder and Troy Matteson, have been named national player of the year. Thirteen of Hepplers players are currently active members of either the PGA Tour or the Web.com Tour, with several other recent graduates climbing their way up through the SwingThought.com or other mini-tours. Heppler has been named to coach the United States team in the Palmer Cup twice, in 2003 and 2015, and eight of his players have also represented the USA in that annual event. Kuchar, Molder, Nicholas Thompson and Cameron Tringale have represented the United States in the Walker Cup matches. Twice, in 1998 and 2013, five or more of the Hepplers active Tech players have qualified to play in the U.S. Amateur. Six of Techs seven returning players in 2013 competed in that years U.S. Amateur in Brookline, Mass., an unprecedented feat. On the conference level since 1985, when the Yellow Jackets won their first ACC Championship, Tech has earned more NCAA Championship berths than any team except Clemson. The Jackets have earned more top-10, more top-5 and more top-2 finishes in NCAA Championship competition than any other ACC team. Tech also has had more All-America selections (61) than any other ACC team during the same period except the Tigers. His players have been just as successful in the classroom. Techs golf program has been recognized with a perfect Academic Progress Report score of 1000 for 11 straight years, and every senior has graduated. Fourteen different players under Heppler have been named All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America, which requires a minimum 3.2 GPA and participation in at least 75 percent of a teams events. Two, All-Americans Bryce Molder and Roberto Castro, have received the NCAAs Top VIII Award, an honor given to eight student-athletes from all sports each year and recognizes those who excel in their sport and in the classroom, and exhibit high character, leadership and service to others. It didn't take long for Heppler to restore the glory to Tech's golf program following a couple of lean years in the mid-1990s. After recruiting future All-Americans Kuchar and Molder, Heppler had the Yellow Jackets back in the NCAA Tournament in his third season, where they finished third, just four shots off the lead. Tech also was ranked No. 1 in the nation during the course of the year and won the NCAA East Regional. Even better things were to come as Tech captured the first of its ACC titles under Heppler in 1999. In 2000 the Yellow Jackets came the closest to an NCAA Championship in their history, tying for first after 72 holes with Oklahoma State before losing a one-hole playoff. On the year, Tech captured four team titles and finished in the top four in each event it entered. During the 2001 campaign, the Jackets won their second ACC crown in three years, the second under Heppler, captured a school-record-tying five tournament wins during the year and finished fourth in the NCAA Championship. For his efforts, Heppler was named ACC Coach of the Year and guided three All-Americans in Molder, who was also the consensus National Player of the Year, Matteson and Kris Mikkelsen. In 2002, Heppler led the Yellow Jackets to arguably the best season in school history, as Tech captured seven team titles and finished second at the NCAA Championship. In the process, Heppler earned National and ACC Coach of the Year honors. During the year, the Jackets won the school's eighth ACC title, while placing all five starters on GCAA All-America teams. Under Heppler's tutelage, Matteson became the third Tech player to win the national individual title. Tech has dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference in recent years, winning five of the last six titles and the last three in a row. The Yellow Jackets have been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1998, and only once in that time failed to advance out of a regional. In the three years the NCAA has conducted the current medal/match play format for the championship, Tech has advanced to match play twice. A 55-year-old native of St. George, Utah, Heppler has demonstrated his strength as a recruiter by attracting both National Players of the Year during 1997-98 and the ACC Players of the Year for 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. His first recruit at Tech was Kuchar, who won the 1997 U.S. Amateur Championship and was named the ACC Player of the Year and the Fred Haskins National Player of the Year in 1998. Molder was the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year in 1998 and in 2001, along with being named the ACC Player of the Year in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Heppler, a dean's list student at Brigham Young, earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from BYU in 1985, and later received his master's degree in sport management from Massachusetts in 1988. He played golf for one year at Dixie Junior College in St. George before transferring to Brigham Young. He became a certified public accountant in 1985 and spent one year in the firm of Huber and Associates in Salt Lake City, then began his collegiate coaching career in 1987 as the men and women's golf coach at Amherst. He then spent two years as an administrative assistant at UNLV, becoming the assistant men's golf coach at UNLV in 1989. He spent two years in that role before moving to Oklahoma State in 1991. "Georgia Tech is a great fit for me," said Heppler. "This is one of the five or six best programs right now if you look around at college golf's successful teams since the '90s. We have a lot of alumni on the PGA Tour, which is great for the school. Young people can see they have a chance to be player of the year or win a national championship here. It's a great school academically, which is a real draw with the general pool of talent out there interested in playing college golf." Heppler is married to the former Traci Schull of Southbury, Conn., and they have a son, Zakary, and a daughter, Moriah. Heppler is actively involved with Atlanta Alliance for Children and is a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America. Bruce Heppler March 27, 1960 St. George, Utah Master's degree in sport management from Massachusetts in 1988; Bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young in 1985; Associate degree in arts and sciences from Dixie Junior College in 1982. Lettered two years at Dixie Junior College (1982-83) Head coach at Georgia Tech (1995-present); Assistant men's and women's coach at Oklahoma State (1991-95); Assistant men's coach at UNLV (1989-91); Head men's and women's golf coach at Amherst College (1987). Successful completion of the CPA exam on first sitting in November, 1985; Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; GCAA National Coach of the Year, 2002; ACC Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014; Head coach of United States team in the 2003 Palmer Cup. June 27, 1995 1998 NCAA Championship, third place; 2000 NCAA Championship, second place; 2001 NCAA Championship, fourth place; 2002 NCAA Championship, second place; 2004 NCAA Championship, fifth place; 2005 NCAA Championship, second place; Advanced to NCAA Match Play in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014; 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2014 NCAA Regional Champions; 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 ACC Champions; 2002 NCAA Individual Champion (Troy Matteson); 43 tournament titles in all 1995 NCAA Championship, first place (Oklahoma State); 1992 NCAA Championship, third place (Oklahoma State); 1991 NCAA Individual Champion (Warren Schutte, UNLV); 1990 West Region Champion (UNLV) Bruce Heppler Hometown: St. George, Utah Position: Head Coach Birthdate: 03/27/1960 Alma Mater: Brigham Young (1985) Photo Gallery If a consistently high level of success over a long period of time is the measure of a great program, then Georgia Techs golf program under Bruce Heppler would certainly meet the standard. His peers recognized this in 2013 when they inducted him into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. Tech is currently on a run unprecedented in school history and perhaps unmatched by any other in Division I - eight Atlantic Coast Conference titles in the last 11 years and four trips to match play at the NCAA Championship in the last seven. Heppler has guided the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Championship every year since 1998, and helped author 11 top-8 finishes in the Finals, including three runner-up showings. Tech has advanced to match play at the NCAA Championship for the four times in the eight years the format has been used, and is one of only two programs that have advanced to match play four times. During his tenure, Tech has won or shared 11 Atlantic Coast Conference titles. Only two ACC coaches have led their teams to more ACC titles than has Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have captured or shared 46 team titles overall. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014 for the eighth time, more than any coach in ACC history except one, and was a finalist for the GCAAs Dave Williams national coach of the year award. Since 2000, the Yellow Jackets have finished in the top 10 of the final Golfstat rankings 11 times, and in the final Golfweek/Sagarin top 10 13 times. Tech did not finish lower than 14th in either ranking in any year from 2000 to 2015. In a July, 2015 poll of his coaching peers conducted by Golfweek magazine, Heppler ranked No. 3. His program was ranked No. 2 among College Factuals ranking of the best colleges to play golf, taking into account both the quality of the golf team, as well as the academic success of the players and the quality of the school. Heppler has recruited and developed his share of star players as well. The Yellow Jackets have had at least a pair of All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees in 16 of the last 18 years, and landed four members of the team on the squad twice (2005, 2011). Tech has had at least two players earn All-America honors 14 of the last 17 years, and Ollie Schniederjans became the programs 20th and 21st first-team selections in his junior and senior years. Three of his players, Matt Kuchar, Bryce Molder and Troy Matteson, have been named national player of the year. Thirteen of Hepplers players are currently active members of either the PGA Tour or the Web.com Tour, with several other recent graduates climbing their way up through the SwingThought.com or other mini-tours. Heppler has been named to coach the United States team in the Palmer Cup twice, in 2003 and 2015, and eight of his players have also represented the USA in that annual event. Kuchar, Molder, Nicholas Thompson and Cameron Tringale have represented the United States in the Walker Cup matches. Twice, in 1998 and 2013, five or more of the Hepplers active Tech players have qualified to play in the U.S. Amateur. Six of Techs seven returning players in 2013 competed in that years U.S. Amateur in Brookline, Mass., an unprecedented feat. On the conference level since 1985, when the Yellow Jackets won their first ACC Championship, Tech has earned more NCAA Championship berths than any team except Clemson. The Jackets have earned more top-10, more top-5 and more top-2 finishes in NCAA Championship competition than any other ACC team. Tech also has had more All-America selections (61) than any other ACC team during the same period except the Tigers. His players have been just as successful in the classroom. Techs golf program has been recognized with a perfect Academic Progress Report score of 1000 for 11 straight years, and every senior has graduated. Fourteen different players under Heppler have been named All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America, which requires a minimum 3.2 GPA and participation in at least 75 percent of a teams events. Two, All-Americans Bryce Molder and Roberto Castro, have received the NCAAs Top VIII Award, an honor given to eight student-athletes from all sports each year and recognizes those who excel in their sport and in the classroom, and exhibit high character, leadership and service to others. It didn't take long for Heppler to restore the glory to Tech's golf program following a couple of lean years in the mid-1990s. After recruiting future All-Americans Kuchar and Molder, Heppler had the Yellow Jackets back in the NCAA Tournament in his third season, where they finished third, just four shots off the lead. Tech also was ranked No. 1 in the nation during the course of the year and won the NCAA East Regional. Even better things were to come as Tech captured the first of its ACC titles under Heppler in 1999. In 2000 the Yellow Jackets came the closest to an NCAA Championship in their history, tying for first after 72 holes with Oklahoma State before losing a one-hole playoff. On the year, Tech captured four team titles and finished in the top four in each event it entered. During the 2001 campaign, the Jackets won their second ACC crown in three years, the second under Heppler, captured a school-record-tying five tournament wins during the year and finished fourth in the NCAA Championship. For his efforts, Heppler was named ACC Coach of the Year and guided three All-Americans in Molder, who was also the consensus National Player of the Year, Matteson and Kris Mikkelsen. In 2002, Heppler led the Yellow Jackets to arguably the best season in school history, as Tech captured seven team titles and finished second at the NCAA Championship. In the process, Heppler earned National and ACC Coach of the Year honors. During the year, the Jackets won the school's eighth ACC title, while placing all five starters on GCAA All-America teams. Under Heppler's tutelage, Matteson became the third Tech player to win the national individual title. Tech has dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference in recent years, winning five of the last six titles and the last three in a row. The Yellow Jackets have been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1998, and only once in that time failed to advance out of a regional. In the three years the NCAA has conducted the current medal/match play format for the championship, Tech has advanced to match play twice. A 55-year-old native of St. George, Utah, Heppler has demonstrated his strength as a recruiter by attracting both National Players of the Year during 1997-98 and the ACC Players of the Year for 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. His first recruit at Tech was Kuchar, who won the 1997 U.S. Amateur Championship and was named the ACC Player of the Year and the Fred Haskins National Player of the Year in 1998. Molder was the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year in 1998 and in 2001, along with being named the ACC Player of the Year in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Heppler, a dean's list student at Brigham Young, earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from BYU in 1985, and later received his master's degree in sport management from Massachusetts in 1988. He played golf for one year at Dixie Junior College in St. George before transferring to Brigham Young. He became a certified public accountant in 1985 and spent one year in the firm of Huber and Associates in Salt Lake City, then began his collegiate coaching career in 1987 as the men and women's golf coach at Amherst. He then spent two years as an administrative assistant at UNLV, becoming the assistant men's golf coach at UNLV in 1989. He spent two years in that role before moving to Oklahoma State in 1991. "Georgia Tech is a great fit for me," said Heppler. "This is one of the five or six best programs right now if you look around at college golf's successful teams since the '90s. We have a lot of alumni on the PGA Tour, which is great for the school. Young people can see they have a chance to be player of the year or win a national championship here. It's a great school academically, which is a real draw with the general pool of talent out there interested in playing college golf." Heppler is married to the former Traci Schull of Southbury, Conn., and they have a son, Zakary, and a daughter, Moriah. Heppler is actively involved with Atlanta Alliance for Children and is a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America. Bruce Heppler March 27, 1960 St. George, Utah Master's degree in sport management from Massachusetts in 1988; Bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young in 1985; Associate degree in arts and sciences from Dixie Junior College in 1982. Lettered two years at Dixie Junior College (1982-83) Head coach at Georgia Tech (1995-present); Assistant men's and women's coach at Oklahoma State (1991-95); Assistant men's coach at UNLV (1989-91); Head men's and women's golf coach at Amherst College (1987). Successful completion of the CPA exam on first sitting in November, 1985; Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; GCAA National Coach of the Year, 2002; ACC Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014; Head coach of United States team in the 2003 Palmer Cup. June 27, 1995 1998 NCAA Championship, third place; 2000 NCAA Championship, second place; 2001 NCAA Championship, fourth place; 2002 NCAA Championship, second place; 2004 NCAA Championship, fifth place; 2005 NCAA Championship, second place; Advanced to NCAA Match Play in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014; 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2014 NCAA Regional Champions; 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 ACC Champions; 2002 NCAA Individual Champion (Troy Matteson); 43 tournament titles in all 1995 NCAA Championship, first place (Oklahoma State); 1992 NCAA Championship, third place (Oklahoma State); 1991 NCAA Individual Champion (Warren Schutte, UNLV); 1990 West Region Champion (UNLV)