West Chester University of Pennsylvania Men's Golf

Hammond is in the midst of his sixth season as head coach of West Chester Universitys mens golf squad, coming off one of the most successful campaigns in recent years. A 50-year member of the PGA of America, Hammond recently won the 2012 national Bill Strausbaugh Award handed out by the PGA for leadership and service to the game of golf in the Philadelphia section.  He is currently part owner and the director of golf at Penn Oaks Golf Club in West Chester, Pa., where he has continued his tutoring career since retiring from Whitford Country Club in 2007. Hammond, a PGA Master Professional, brings a great deal of coaching experience with him to the collegiate level as well as a laundry list of experiences initiating junior golf programs and promoting the game of golf to youngsters. A plethora of his former pupils have gone on to sign collegiate scholarships with Division I golf programs. In his first five seasons at West Chester University, the Golden Rams have qualified for the NCAA Division II Atlantic & East Regional Championships three times while four golfers have earned All-PSAC honors, one was the loop's rookie of the year and Connor Lefever was named GCAA all-region in 2013. In 2012, freshman Austin Mann was named second team All-PSAC while Hammond led his charges to a third-place finish at the PSAC Championships. The Golden Rams placed 17th at the NCAA Regionals in the spring of 2012. West Chester finished ninth overall at the 2011 NCAA Regionals. Connor Lefever was named the conference's Freshman of the Year that spring as well. Hammond was named PSAC coach of the year in 2010, after guiding the Golden Rams to a second-place showing at the PSAC Championships in the fall. Griffith Basehore was second overall on the individual leaderboard at that tournament. In 2009, Hammond coached the Rams to a fifth place finish at the PSAC Championships in October. The Golden Rams finished the season with four fourth-place finishes, which was their highest placing of the year in any given tournament.  In his first season at the helm of West Chester Universitys program, the lifelong resident of Chester County guided the Golden Rams to a sixth-place finish at the PSAC Championships. Before taking over as director of golf at Penn Oaks, Hammond was a golf professional with the West Chester Golf & Country Club as well as director of golf at Whitford Country Club in Exton, Pa. for 38 years. Upon his retirement from Whitford Country Club, the Presidents Room was renamed the Hammond Room in his honor. Hammond has begun junior golf programs at numerous clubs and courses around Chester County. In 1999, he was named PGA of America Junior Golf Leader and is president of the Greater Philadelphia PGA Junior Golf Foundation. During his illustrious career introducing the game of golf to area youths, Hammond also started a Clubs for Kids program designed to provide children with golfing equipment, and his Golf in School program introduces youngsters to the game through the schools curriculum. Hammond is ranked among the top golf teachers in the state of Pennsylvania by Golf Digest. He resides in Unionville, Pa., with his wife Sally. Harry Hammond Head Coach Harry Hammond is in the midst of his sixth season as head coach of West Chester Universitys mens golf squad, coming off one of the most successful campaigns in recent years. A 50-year member of the PGA of America, Hammond recently won the 2012 national Bill Strausbaugh Award handed out by the PGA for leadership and service to the game of golf in the Philadelphia section.  He is currently part owner and the director of golf at Penn Oaks Golf Club in West Chester, Pa., where he has continued his tutoring career since retiring from Whitford Country Club in 2007. Hammond, a PGA Master Professional, brings a great deal of coaching experience with him to the collegiate level as well as a laundry list of experiences initiating junior golf programs and promoting the game of golf to youngsters. A plethora of his former pupils have gone on to sign collegiate scholarships with Division I golf programs. In his first five seasons at West Chester University, the Golden Rams have qualified for the NCAA Division II Atlantic & East Regional Championships three times while four golfers have earned All-PSAC honors, one was the loop's rookie of the year and Connor Lefever was named GCAA all-region in 2013. In 2012, freshman Austin Mann was named second team All-PSAC while Hammond led his charges to a third-place finish at the PSAC Championships. The Golden Rams placed 17th at the NCAA Regionals in the spring of 2012. West Chester finished ninth overall at the 2011 NCAA Regionals. Connor Lefever was named the conference's Freshman of the Year that spring as well. Hammond was named PSAC coach of the year in 2010, after guiding the Golden Rams to a second-place showing at the PSAC Championships in the fall. Griffith Basehore was second overall on the individual leaderboard at that tournament. In 2009, Hammond coached the Rams to a fifth place finish at the PSAC Championships in October. The Golden Rams finished the season with four fourth-place finishes, which was their highest placing of the year in any given tournament.  In his first season at the helm of West Chester Universitys program, the lifelong resident of Chester County guided the Golden Rams to a sixth-place finish at the PSAC Championships. Before taking over as director of golf at Penn Oaks, Hammond was a golf professional with the West Chester Golf & Country Club as well as director of golf at Whitford Country Club in Exton, Pa. for 38 years. Upon his retirement from Whitford Country Club, the Presidents Room was renamed the Hammond Room in his honor. Hammond has begun junior golf programs at numerous clubs and courses around Chester County. In 1999, he was named PGA of America Junior Golf Leader and is president of the Greater Philadelphia PGA Junior Golf Foundation. During his illustrious career introducing the game of golf to area youths, Hammond also started a Clubs for Kids program designed to provide children with golfing equipment, and his Golf in School program introduces youngsters to the game through the schools curriculum. Hammond is ranked among the top golf teachers in the state of Pennsylvania by Golf Digest. He resides in Unionville, Pa., with his wife Sally.

Chris Merce begins his second season at West Chester University in 2024-25. Merce, a standout collegiate golfer at Saint Peter's, joins the Golden Rams after serving as the head men's and women's golf coach at Arcadia University for the last seven years. In his first season at WCU, Merce helped lead the West Chester men's golf team to nine top-10 finishes, including an eighth place finish at the PSAC Championships at Iron Valley Golf Club with a 54-hole score of 973 (328, 327, 318). Connor Strine, who was named the PSAC Champion Scholar as the golfer with the top GPA in the field at the PSAC Championships also led the way on the course during this tournament, finishing fifth at 13-over (73, 81, 75; 229) for the Tournament. Merce's charges finished inside the top five times in 2023-24, including in four of five tournaments during the Spring 2024 campaign. The Golden Rams top finish during the 2023-24 campaign came at the Dr. Edwin B. Cottrell Invitational at Penn Oaks as West Chester finished second on the team leaderboard, just one stroke off the lead heading into the second round, which was cancelled due to rain and course conditions. In his first season in charge of the West Chester women's golf program, Merce helped lead West Chester to a top-five finish in 11 of 12 tournaments, including every Tournament during the spring portion of the 2023-24 season. Merce and company began the spring with an Invitational crown at the Vulcan Fire Classic at Lone Pine Country Club in Washington, Pennsylvania finishing atop the team leaderboard with a 36-hole score of 706 (357, 349), while Morgan Kunze won the individual title with a +24 (87, 81; 168). West Chester finished fifth at the PSAC Championships, led by Kirsten Vanderhorst, who finished with a 54-hole score of +33 (82, 83, 84; 249) to finish 14th. Cierra Griffith and Madilyn Siuta also became the first Golden Rams to earn Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar honors at tje conclusion of Merce's first season at the helm.  In seven years at Arcadia, Merce mentored 13 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) All-Conference selections and helped guide the Knights men's program to three consecutive MAC Freedom Conference (2021, 2022, 2023) runner-up finishes. In the regular season, Merce helped his men's team win seven Team Tournament titles and six individual titles while guiding his women's team to a pair of Tournament titles. Additionally, Merce mentored the 2017 Men's MAC Commenwealth Individual Champion, 2017 MAC Commenwealth Golfer of the Year, 2019 MAC Commenwealth Rookie of the Year, and the 2019 MAC Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. At Arcadia, Merce also saw his men’s and women’s programs set new team and individual records in all major categories, including team score, season scoring average, and conference Championship finish. In addition to his coaching duties at Arcadia, Merce also served as the NCAA Compliance officer for all 26 of the Knight's varsity programs. Before his time with Arcadia, Merce served two stints as an assistant coach at his Alma Mater, Saint Peter's, where he led daily practices and prepared each player's off-season practice and strength and conditioning plans. Between his two stints with the Peacocks, which occurred from June 2008-August 2012 and June 2015-February 2016, Merce served as the head coach at Iona University. At Iona, Merce mentored seven All-MAAC selections, the 2015 MAAC Individual Champion, Rookie of the Year, and NCAA Regional Participant with the Gaels. In his three seasons, Merce also saw two players qualify for the 2013 USGA Amateur Championship while guiding the team to NCAA Public Recognition for Academic Progress Rate (APR). As a player, Merce starred for Saint Peter's College from 2004-08 and was a two-year Captain and five-time medalist during his collegiate career. Merce also led the team in scoring average each season and graduated, holding program records for the lowest single-round score, most rounds under par, and lowest MAAC Championship Individual score.Merce has also had success on the amateur circuit, playing in a number of prestigious amateur events around the Region.  As an amateur player, Merce captured the Westchester Golf Association Public Links Championship in 2009 and 2011, the Westchester County Public Links Championship in 2010, 2015, and 2017, the 2016 South Jersey Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship and was runner-up at the 2011 Westchester Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship. In addition, he has qualified and competed in several of the most prestigious events in the New York metropolitan area, including the MGA IKE Championship, MGA Public Links Championship, New York City Amateur, and Westchester Open. Merce completed his master's in Educational Leadership at Saint Peter's in 2010 after earning his bachelor's degree in history with a minor in secondary education from the University in 2008.