The Laker/Lutz News staff report
Saint Leo University Director of Athletics Francis X. Reidy has announced the appointment of Chris Greenwood as the new head coach for the Lions’ men’s golf program.
Greenwood, a graduate from North Carolina State University, comes to Saint Leo after serving as the Director of Golf at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the past year.
“I feel blessed to have this opportunity to come to Saint Leo and compete in the Sunshine State Conference,” Greenwood said. “I’m looking forward to helping the Saint Leo men’s golf team become an exceptional program.”
Under Greenwood’s guidance at UALR, the Trojans claimed one Sun Belt All-Conference Selection while also earning the highest GPA of UALR men’s sports programs.
Prior to his success with the Trojans, Greenwood served as the head men’s golf coach at Lynn University in Boca Raton for seven seasons, where he led the Fighting Knights to 16 tournament titles, extended Lynn’s streak of consecutive NCAA appearances to 10, and reached the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Tournament four times (2006 and 2009-11).
“We are excited to name Chris Greenwood as our first full-time men’s golf coach,” Reidy said. “He has produced successful results at the conference, regional and national level as a coach in the SSC. Coach Greenwood is a proven leader and recruiter; couple this with the facilities of Lake Jovita, and we have a great combination for our golf program.”
A two-time Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year (2006 and 2008), Greenwood coached 11 All-America selections and eight Academic All-Americans in his seven years at Lynn. During his first year with the program, Greenwood picked up his first SSC Coach of the Year award after guiding the Fighting Knights to a Sunshine State Conference title and leading the team to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Before entering the realm of collegiate coaching, Greenwood played for 12 years on the Canadian Golf Tour, where he recorded six victories as a professional, multiple top-ten finishes and set a tournament record by finishing the Eagle Creek Classic at 22-under par. He has also played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide, Tight Lies, Nike, South African PGA, Australasia PGA and the Dakotas tour.
While competing on the Canadian Tour, Greenwood served as the United States Players Representative on the Board of Directors, and the Canadian Tour representative to Srixon, ensuring all players utilize the proper equipment at each event.
A member of the North Carolina State University golf team from 1990-92, Greenwood notched one tournament victory as a collegiate athlete at Duke University’s John Ryan Memorial. Upon graduating from NC State in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in general communications with a concentration in public relations, he joined the Wolfpack as an assistant men’s golf coach. Prior to NC State, Greenwood attended Virginia Tech where he was an All-Conference selection as a freshman.
The Valdese, N.C. native will serve as the first-ever full-time head men’s golf coach at Saint Leo. He is married to Nancy Greenwood. The couple has two daughters, Savannah and Mackenzie, and one son, Daniel.
