FORT MYERS, Fla. – A new era of FGCU men's golf has arrived. Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics announced Tuesday that Lee McCoy, who developed four All-Americans in three years at Columbus State, has been named the fifth head coach for the FGCU men's golf program.
FGCU is getting the real McCoy. In three seasons as head coach of the Cougars, McCoy has not only produced four All-Americans but also five All-Region golfers, four All-Peach Belt Conference players and 12 All-Academic honorees, all while leading his teams to a top 15 final ranking in his past two years.
"I am beyond excited to join the FGCU family," McCoy said. "I truly believe that the sky is the limit for this program, and I look forward to building on the foundation that Coach Danna built during his time leading the program. The future of FGCU Golf is extremely bright and I can't wait to see the program become a consistent national threat in the very near future. Wings Up!"
McCoy's teams have improved consistently throughout his tenure. The Cougars registered 14 top-4 finishes in 34 total tournaments played, advanced to the NCAA Regionals all three years of his leadership and advanced to the NCAA Championships in the past two, finishing as high as sixth in stroke play and advancing to the quarterfinals of match play in 2026.
"I am excited to welcome Lee to the FGCU family," said Interim Director of Athletics Lauren Leister. "His winning mentality and proven results make him a great choice to lead our men's golf team. I am excited to see him continue the history of success we have built within that program."
Inheriting a program that was ranked No. 65 in the country, McCoy led the Cougars to finish no lower than 28
th (2023-24), while finishing 14
th in 2024-25 and No. 8 last season.
His stint at Columbus State came after spending a year as a student assistant coach at Georgia, helping to lead the Bulldogs to a first-place finish at the NCAA East Lansing Regional, followed by a 14
th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. That year as a student assistant coach came as he returned to Athens to complete his undergraduate degree, following a six-year professional career.
"His success as a player and as a coach stood out, first and foremost," said Nicole Neal, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Team Administration and men's golf sport supervisor. "He has the proven ability to win at any level and has done so. Lee is also a proven relationship-builder within the community, and his ties to Florida make him a great selection to lead our program."
Beyond his teams' success on the course and in the classroom, McCoy led the philanthropic efforts for the golf programs at Columbus State, including the construction of a new 6,500-sq. ft. team clubhouse.
In his final season (2025-26) at Columbus State, McCoy guided the Cougars to one of the most successful campaigns in program history. The Cougars finished runner-up at the Peach Belt Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship Match Play. Columbus State recorded top 4 finishes at the Hurricane Invitational (2nd), Southeastern Collegiate (2nd), Peach Belt Conference Championship (2nd), Mizuno Intercollegiate (4th), Fripp Island to Bermuda Invite (4th) and Oldfield Classic (4th). McCoy was named the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year, while Bernard Meyer earned First Team All-Peach Belt Conference honors. William Partner and Ian Pienaar were selected as NCAA Division II PING All-Americans, and the program produced four Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team selections.
In 2024-25, McCoy guided the Cougars to a tournament championship at the McCoy Wright Currahee Collegiate Invitational while leading the program to the NCAA South/Southeast Regional and NCAA Division II National Championship. Columbus State recorded top 5 finishes at the Bearcat Invitational (T-3rd), Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate (T-2nd), Bobcat Invitational (5th), Argonaut Invitational (4th) and NCAA South/Southeast Regional (4th). Individually, Frederick Gruendemann earned PING All-America Honorable Mention honors and was joined by Bryant Vail as a PING All-Southeast Region selection. Gruendemann and Russell Makepeace were also named to the Peach Belt Conference Team of Academic Distinction.
During his first year at the helm of the Columbus State men's golf program, he led CSU to three top 5 finishes, including two runner-up finishes at the Bearcat Invitational and Spring Bulldog Clash. McCoy coached his first All-Peach Belt Conference and All-Southeast Region selection in Bernard Meyer. During the 2023-24 season, Meyer won the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate and recorded three top 5 finishes and three top 10 placements.
A native of Dunedin, Florida, McCoy comes to Fort Myers with a prestigious golf resume. He began his collegiate career in 2013 as a student-athlete on the men's golf team at the University of Georgia. As a Bulldog, he posted seven individual victories, was named the 2016 SEC Player of the Year, earned three All-America selections and holds the second-lowest career scoring average in Georgia history. McCoy was also the 2016 Haskins Award Runner-Up and a member of both the 2015 Walker Cup and 2015 Palmer Cup teams.
McCoy departed Georgia in 2016 to pursue a professional golf career. He won the PGA Tour Canada Freedom 55 Financial Open in 2017 and captured medalist honors at the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School Finals. McCoy spent two full seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour and competed in 13 PGA Tour events, recording a career-best finish of fourth place.
After his professional playing career, McCoy returned to Georgia in 2022 to complete his degree in Housing Management and Policy, graduating in the spring of 2023. During the 2022-23 season, he also served as a Student Assistant Coach for the Bulldogs while working as the Director of Online Instruction for Sub 70 Golf.
McCoy is married to his wife, Amanda, and they have a daughter, Lily.
The McCoy File
Name: Lee McCoy
Wife: Amanda
Children: Lily
Alma Mater, Year: Georgia, 2023
Playing Career
2013-16 Georgia
2016-22 Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour events
Head Coaching Record
| Season |
School |
Record (Pct.) |
Conf. |
NCAA Reg. |
NCAA |
| 2023-24 |
Columbus State |
90-88-1 (.506) |
6th |
18th |
- |
| 2024-25 |
Columbus State |
127-56-3 (.691) |
6th |
4th |
11th |
| 2025-26 |
Columbus State |
117-61 (.657) |
2nd |
6th |
6th |
| Totals |
3 Seasons |
244-117-4 (.674) |
|
|
|
Coaching Honors & Awards
2026 Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year
All-Americans (4): Bernard Mayer (2024, HM), Martin Grundemann (2025, HM), William Partner (2026, 3
rd), Ian Pienar (2026, HM)
All-Region (5): Bernard Meyer (2024, 2026), Martin Brundemann (2025), Bryant Vail (2025), William Partner (2026)
All-Conference (4): Bernard Meyer (2024, 1
st; 2026, 1
st), Marine Legentil (2024, 2
nd), Martin Grundemann (2025, 2
nd)
All-Tournament (2): Bernard Meyer (2024), William Partner (2026)
All-Academic: 13
Golfers of the Week: 5
Playing Honors & Awards
- Two-time First Team All-American
- Honorable Mention All-American
- 2015 Haskins Award Runner-Up
- 2015 Walker Cup Team (United States)
- 2016 Palmer Cup Team
- 7 Individual Tournament wins at Georgia
- Second-lowest career scoring average at Georgia
- Winner, 2017 Freedom 55 Financial Open (PGA Tour Canada)
- 13 PGA Tour Starts
- 4th Place, 2016 PGA Tour Valspar Championship (Amateur)
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WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT LEE MCCOY
"Having Lee in Columbus has been really fun for me personally as he has become a good friend and has helped me with my golf game. I have also enjoyed watching him make the guys better on and off the course. While I am sad to see him go, I know he will do a great job in this next chapter and will elevate the team to a higher level wherever he is."
~ Russell Henley, PGA Tour golfer currently ranked No. 5 in the world
"Lee is a fantastic person and will do an outstanding job at FGCU. He will be extremely invested in his players' lives as well as their golf games. He's a great player, a winner and very deserving of this opportunity. Congrats to FGCU on an outstanding hire!"
~ Nick Clinard, Auburn head men's golf coach
"I think Lee McCoy is a home run hire by Florida Gulf Coast. He was an incredibly talented player for me at Georgia but also had such a great knowledge of the game to help teach others. His players need to be ready to learn a lot of different shots and a lot of course management because he was one of the best at it. He is still very well known in the golfing community, so I'm sure there will be a lot of kids who will be attracted to come play for him. I hope that the golfing community of the Fort Myers and Naples area embrace this hire and help support him, he will do great things.!"
~ Chris Haack, Georgia men's golf head coach (retired)
"I am just so excited for Lee and for FGCU. Having watched him grow from an 8-year-old kid at our golf camp to a player at Georgia, a professional player and now how quickly he has become a stud golf coach, it's been a special experience for me. He is so impressive, not just as a coach but as a human being. What he did in such a short time in Columbus was downright impressive. I can't say enough good things about Lee."
~ Jim Douglas, Georgia men's golf assistant coach (retired)
"Lee McCoy is an exceptional coach, a tremendous leader and an even better person. Over the past three years, he built a championship-caliber culture through his passion, integrity and commitment to developing our student-athletes. Lee will certainly be missed at Columbus State, but we're grateful for the impact he made on our program, department and community. We wish Lee and his family nothing but success in this next chapter."
~ Justin Hay, Columbus State Director of Athletics
"FGCU could not have made a better hire. Lee is a great golfer and an outstanding coach. But, even more than that, he builds the type of relationships with his players that every coach should strive to build. He has a passion for turning young men into productive contributors of their community and molds them to achieve success in all aspects of life. I am very grateful for everything Lee has done at Columbus State, but I am happy for Lee and this next step for him and his family. I know he will do great things."
~ Will White,
Charman, Columbus State University Board of Trustees
