July 31, 2018
San Jose, Calif.----- Pat Hurst, a six-time winner on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour and the only San Jose State alumna to win a NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship, returns to her alma mater as the women's golf assistant coach. New Spartan head coach Dana Dormann made the announcement.
Hurst, a San Leandro, Calif., native, is entering college coaching for the first time and can rely on her experiences as an assistant captain of the 2015 and 2017 United States-winning Solheim Cup teams.
"I am very pleased Pat Hurst is coming back to San Jose State as the assistant coach to the women's golf team. Her success at every level of competition from junior, to SJSU, and to the LPGA Tour is unmatched in college coaching," said Dormann, herself a Spartan alumna and two-time LPGA Tour winner.
"Her work as the Solheim Cup assistant captain to fellow Spartan alumna Juli Inkster has given Pat knowledge of team building, course strategy and an understanding of the game that will be very valuable to our team. I look forward to working with my fellow Spartan as San Jose State Women's golf builds our `Culture of Champions' for life."
Before enrolling at San Jose State, she was the 1986 USGA Girls Junior champion. As a sophomore, Hurst was the 1989 NCAA Division I Women's Golf medalist and led the Spartans to their second of three national team championships at the Stanford Golf Course.
The two-time first-team All-American would capture the 1990 U.S. Women's Amateur -- her second USGA championship in four years. She earned her LPGA Tour Card in 1994 and was named the Tour's "Rookie of the Year" in 1995. Her first Tour win was the 1997 Oldsmobile Classic in East Lansing, Mich.
Hurst has one major championship win to her credit -- the 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore Invitational -- and 10 other top-10 finishes at LPGA major championship tour events. She played on eight USA teams in international competition, four of them Solheim Cup winners. Hurst has a 10-7-3 Solheim Cup individual win-loss record.
"I am so excited to be joining the San Jose State University women's golf team as the assistant coach. I look forward to using my knowledge and experiences to help the team and making an impact on their lives," said Hurst, an inductee into multiple Halls of Fame including the San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame.
Though she has cut back on the number of tournaments she plays in recent years, her $7-million in career earnings still ranks her 33rd all-time among LPGA players.
SJSU Athletics Director Marie Tuite (center) honored Hall of Fame golfers Pat Hurst and Juli Inkster (right) at a 2017 Spartan football game.
"Congratulations to Pat Hurst on being named assistant coach for the San Jose State University women's golf team. She has been my right hand person for the last two Solheim Cups (United States vs. Europe). She is organized, passionate and fun," says LPGA Hall of Fame golfer Juli Inkster, captain of the victorious 2015 and 2017 U.S. teams and another San Jose State alumna.
"Dana Dormann and Pat will make a amazing team. Their golf knowledge and loyalty to SJSU will be a home run. I wish I had some eligibility left."