Former FGCU men's golfer Austin Schultz is in his 7th season in 2022-23 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the team.
Alongside head coach Andrew Danna, Schultz helped the program post one of its best seasons in the Division I era in 2020-21. The Eagles jumped 192 spots from the previous year to finish the season ranked No. 65 in the GolfStat.com national rankings. Following the year, FGCU was honored with the 2021 Mark Laesch Award by the Golf Coaches Association of America having led the nation with a 15.26 adjusted stroke average per round improvement. The Eagles narrowly missed receiving an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament after placing second in the ASUN Championship, but were represented by Van Holmgren who competed as an individual after winning the conference tournament and was then named to the All-Region Team.
In 2017-18, Schultz was part of two Eagles' wins – the first time since the 2013-14 season that FGCU has won multiple tournaments in the same year. The first came during the Eagles’ home spring event at the Randy Grimes Memorial Shootout with a two-round 602 total. The second occurred a couple weeks later as FGCU finished tied with Bethune-Cookman at the Legacy Intercollegiate following rounds of 293-287-296: 876 (+12) before falling in a one-hole playoff.
Schultz helped coach another ASUN All-Freshman Team representative in Cole Castro – the second-straight year FGCU has had a member on the team. Castro claimed medalist honors out of 90 competitors at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate with rounds of 70-73-67: 210 (-6). That performance landed Castro with ASUN Golfer of the Week honors on Mar. 8.
As a team, FGCU put together two of the best rounds in program history during the 2017-18 season. The first came in the final round of the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate with a 277 (tied for the 7th-best in program history) and the second occurred a few weeks after, again in the final round, with a 279 (tied for the 12th-best) at the FAU Slomin Autism Invitational. It marked just the 5th time in program history that a team has put together two sub-280 rounds in the same season.
In his first season in 2016-17, Schultz helped coach two different ASUN Golfer of the Week selections in Keaton Jones and Casper Howells, in addition to ASUN All-Freshman Team member Doug Smith – the first such selection for FGCU since 2013.
Additionally, two individuals claimed medalist honors, and three in total when factoring in Grant Renegar’s triumph in the FAU Dual along with his win at the East Carolina Intercollegiate in early April. Howells also picked up a medalist title at the Cape Fear National Intercollegiate in mid March. Combined with Renegar, it marked the first time since the 2011-12 season that FGCU had two different medalists in the same year.
Statistically, FGCU finished the 2016-17 season with a 296.06 scoring average – the 8th-best in single-season program history and lowest since 2011-12. The Eagles also secured top-10 single-season program records in birdies (5th, 398), par-4 scoring (6th, 4.22) and par-or-better rounds (T-9th, four).
As a senior with the Eagles in 2015-16, Schultz led FGCU in scoring average and finished runner-up at the ASUN Championship. A native of Lakeland, Fla., he was named to the ASUN Second Team in 2016 after posting a 74.19 scoring average and was responsible for five of FGCU's eight total rounds in the 60's all year. He was one of only two team members to compete in all nine tournaments on the year, and Schultz had four top-11 finishes and a pair of runner-up performances in his final six tournaments.
Schultz began his playing career at Florida Southern College before transferring to FGCU for his final two seasons. He finished his time with the Eagles with a 75.04 scoring average over 53 rounds, posted 11 par-or-better showings and had six rounds in the 60's.
In a perfect embodiment of a student-athlete, Schultz was named the ASUN Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016 – the first member in program history to earn the distinguished honor. He was also named to the ASUN All-Academic Team and was the ASUN Men's Golfer of the Week on Apr. 7 that year.
Schultz finished in the top 25 in every tournament except one in 2015-16. Of the 27 rounds he played, his score was used in the team total 26 times. He finished the year with 80 birdies, the 14th-most in single-season program history.
Schultz tied his career-low round with a 68 in the fall of 2015 at the Homewood/Hilton Garden Airport & FGCU Classic at Old Corkscrew Golf Club. All four of his rounds of 69 came in the spring, including two consecutively to end the ASUN Championship. After shooting a 3-over 75 in the first round, Schultz responded with consecutive 3-under rounds to finish at -3 (213) for the tournament, just one shot behind the medalist.
The runner-up performance at the ASUN Championship came just a couple weeks after his first career runner-up showing at the East Carolina Intercollegiate. Schultz played three consistent rounds of 73-73-72 (+2, 218) to finish second in the field of 77 golfers en route to the aforementioned golfer of the week honor.
Last updated 9/30/22
