By Josh Brown
Western New Mexico University Director of Golf Operations and Head Men’s and Women’s Coach, Kent Beatty, has announced his retirement.
For the last 27 years the newly titled, “Golf Coach Emeritus,” Beatty has directed both the Men’s and Women’s Golf programs at WNMU and developed a system stressing that great golf, solid classroom performance, and learning people skills, will increase his players chances of success.
That success was clearly seen in his tenure, as Beatty has taken his teams to 14 NCAA Championships, has mentored eight All-Americans, 17 academic all-Americans and five PGA golf professionals including DP World Tour Winner Calum Hill. Beatty was also named RMAC Women’s Golf Coach of the Century in May 2009, along with numerous Conference Coach of the Year awards from the PacWest, Heartland, RMAC, and most recently, Lone Star Conference.
“I just want to thank all those who played for me, coached with me, and to WNMU for allowing me to do what I thought was necessary for the teams to excel. The Mustangs have made dozens of post-season appearances and collected a lot of hardware and it’s been an honor for me to be a part of that. It’s been a hell of a ride,” said Beatty.
In his final season at the helm at WNMU, Beatty lead the WNMU Women’s Golf team to regular season team victories at the 2024 Women’s RJGA Cactus Thaw and SMSU Spring Invite. Individually, two Mustangs claimed first-place finishes, including Taysea Powell (Artesia, NM/Artesia HS) at the Women’s RJGA Cactus Thaw and Brooklynn Maes (Las Cruces, NM/Centennial HS) at the SMSU Spring Invite. As for post-season play, the team was invited to play at the 2024 PGA Works, while Maes accepted an individual bid to the 2024 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship and set the single season scoring record with 74.34.
On the Men’s side, WNMU made its fifth appearance at the NCAA Championship finals after winning the West, South Central Regional. In addition, the team took home first place at the Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout with a team-record 28-under-par performance. That record was short-lived with the Mustangs shot 32-under par at the Palm Valley Classic that saw senior Adam Niles (Kamloops, BC/Valley View Secondary HS) take home first at the first-place trophy. The Mustangs shattered the team scoring record with 288.6, two shots clear of the previous record set in 2023.
“It is always difficult to find the words that encapsulate a coach’s career. One who has achieved great success as a coach and one who has mentored the many student-athletes over nearly 30 years at WNMU.” Said Executive Director of Athletics Scott Noble. “Coach Beatty not only had highly competitive teams, which includes this year’s Men’s NCAA Regional Championship, but student-athletes who competed in the classroom boasting one of the highest GPAs among the many Lone Star Conference institutions. We will most certainly miss his wit and persuasive personality. Coach, thank you. You are already missed!”