FORT MYERS, Fla. – Former PGA Tour member and Web.com winner Eric Booker has been named the coach for the FGCU men's golf team, as announced Friday by Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh.
 
A member of the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour (formerly the Nationwide Series) for portions of 17 years from 1990-2007, Booker finished in the top-5 three times in tournaments on the PGA Tour and also played in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Booker played in 62 career events on the PGA Tour, with his best finish being a tie for 3rd at the 1999 Honda Classic.
 
Booker, who replaces the recently-resigned Brent Jensen, won the 1997 Nike Greater Austin Open and 1998 Nike Lehigh Valley on the Web.com Tour as over the course of his career he recorded 14 top-10 finishes. In 1998 he ranked fourth on the money list as he posted his best single season with nine top-10 showings in 23 events.
 
"I'd like to thank Ken, the rest of the search committee and the entire FGCU Athletics Department for this great opportunity," said Booker. "I'm looking forward to getting started working with the guys and having the opportunity to continue improving the program into a top team not only in the conference and region, but nationally."
 
Booker has served as the Vice President for Player Relations and Tournament Operations as part of the Saturday Series Pro-Am, an official PGA Tour event, since 2002. In that role, Booker is responsible for recruiting and managing PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Web.com professionals for The Saturday Series. The Saturday Series offers amateur golfers the opportunity to play with two professionals from the field of that week's Tour event who may have missed the cut. Booker has hired more than 400 different PGA Tour professionals to fill those "Open Saturday Pro-Am" spots.
 
"We are excited to have Eric joining our FGCU Athletics family," added Kavanagh. "He no doubt brings a tremendous golf pedigree to our program. In turn, we are also enthused about his significant existing relationships both within SW Florida, as well as regionally and nationally, that we believe will prove extremely beneficial. We now look forward to his getting the Green & Blue back into the upper echelon of the A-Sun, in our pursuit of the conference title and beyond."
 
Booker served as a teaching professional prior to joining the PGA and Web.com tours in 1996. He first was an assistant golf professional at Birmingham Country Club in Michigan from 1991-92, where he conducted clinics in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the club. The next year he served as a teaching instructor at Carl's Golfland – one of the largest retail golf driving ranges in the country – as he taught more than 1,300 lessons in a five-month period. Then from 1994-95 he was the head golf instructor for 300 members at Warwick Hill Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich.
 
A lifetime member of the PGA of America, Booker – who resides in Naples and is also a licensed real estate agent – graduated with his degree in Business Administration from Mississippi State University in 1986.
 
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT ERIC
 
"Eric is a really good player who is in touch with the PGA Tour and what it takes for guys to get to that point. He's got a great background and knowledge of the game to go along with a terrific personality. He'll be great for the FGCU program and will surely build the program, especially based on the location and notoriety FGCU has now."
-- Fred Funk, 8-Time PGA Tour Winner
 
"Eric is a great man who loves golf, and he'll do a wonderful job at FGCU. He's a people person, and that's what mom and dad want to see in the recruiting process – someone who is going to take care of their son, and Eric certainly will do that. It's a great hire for FGCU."
-- Keith Fergus, 3-Time PGA Tour Winner & Former Houston University Head Golf Coach
 
"To have someone like Eric who has played the game and a touring pro is a huge advantage for FGCU. Not many programs in the nation have someone with the credentials of Eric, and he'll be a great asset for all of the guys."
-- Mark Lye, 18-Year PGA Tour Veteran; 41 Top-10 Finishes
 
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