Fort Lewis College will search for a new golf coach after the resignation of Thomas “Guy” Begay was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Begay had led the Skyhawks’ men’s and women’s team since 2014 after he replaced Bud Andersen. In a news release, the FLC athletics department announced associate head coach Jim Foltz will serve as the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
The FLC men’s team was competing in Albuquerque at the Western New Mexico University Fall Intercollegiate when the announcement was made Tuesday. The Skyhawks tied for 16th out of 18 teams in the field, and no FLC players were inside the top 35. Begay did not join the team on the trip, and Foltz led the Skyhawks.
“We weren’t expecting it,” FLC athletic director Barney Hinkle said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “Guy had been talking about other opportunities that he’s had that have come and gone over time. I don’t really know if this is part of that or not. We wish him and his family the best.”
Begay, a 2014 graduate of FLC who played four seasons of varsity golf for the Skyhawks, oversaw the start of the varsity women’s program at FLC. Since then, the team has showed steady improvement, though both the men’s and women’s teams have struggled to keep pace with the top schools in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
During the 2017-18 season, FLC hosted the women’s NCAA Division II South Central Regional tournament and regional preview at Hillcrest Golf Club, where Begay is an assistant PGA golf professional. No FLC players qualified for the regional. FLC finished sixth in the men’s and women’s fields at the RMAC Championships last season.
“We’re very high on the future of the program,” Hinkle said. “The tournament we had here last fall and then again in the spring, they were very successful, and that’s from the NCAA perspective communicating that with us. We’re excited about the potential for future tournaments.”
Begay had served as Andersen’s assistant for seven seasons before he was named head coach in 2014.
Begay could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Hillcrest Golf Club is also in a transition period after John Vickers resigned as head golf pro during the summer.
Foltz is in his third year as an assistant with FLC. He was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach in 2015. The 29-year United States Air Force veteran is originally from Vacaville, California. The Command Chief Master Sergeant led more than 6,000 airmen during his time in the military.
Hinkle said a national search for a new head coach would not begin immediately, and the Skyhawks are comfortable with Foltz leading the team the rest of the fall and spring seasons.
“Coach Foltz is very well respected within our golf program,” Hinkle said. “He has a true passion for these student athletes. His passion and leadership with them is remarkable.
“We will look for somebody who has got knowledge and passion of Fort Lewis College and Durango and obviously someone with a wealth of golf experience.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
