Former Falcon Tyler Goulding Named Assistant Golf Coach
6/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 3, 2016
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Former Air Force standout Tyler Goulding is returning to the golf team as an assistant coach, head coach George Koury announced today (June 3). Goulding joins the Falcons' program after spending three seasons at the University of Southern California.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to return to my alma mater and help guide the golf program into the upper echelon of college golf," Goulding said. "The Academy shaped me into the man I am today and it has always been a dream of mine to return as a coach. Coach Koury has done an amazing job recruiting and upgrading the facilities, and I believe that the pieces are in place to be great. As an Academy graduate, I understand the challenges that cadet life presents to a golfer and I look forward to helping the guys achieve their personal, professional, and athletic goals."
Goulding comes to the Academy from USC, which held the nation's #1 ranking several times during the recent 2015-16 season. During his time in southern California, he coached six All-Americans, seven all-conference selections and two Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award winners. The Trojans advanced to the NCAA Championships every year he was on staff, finishing second in 2015 and advancing to the semifinals in 2016.
This past season, the Trojans claimed three event titles, while earning runner-up honors in two additional tournaments. Following a third-place finish at the Albuquerque Regional, USC placed fourth in the NCAA stroke play tournament to advance to the match final. The Trojans defeated Vanderbilt in the opening round, before falling to Texas in the semifinals.
In 2014-15, Goulding helped guide USC to a program-best runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. The Trojans claimed three team titles that year, while placing among the top three in eight tournaments. He coached Sean Crocker to Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, while Crocker and Rico Hoey earned first-team all-conference and PING all-West Region honors. Finishing third at the Bremerton Regional, USC advanced to the NCAA field of 30, finishing fifth in the stroke play tournament. In the eight-team match final, the Trojans defeated Texas and Illinois, before falling to LSU in the NCAA final.
In his first season with the Trojans, USC won one tournament and advanced to the NCAA Championships after tying for fourth a the Sugar Grove Regional. With All-Americans Hoey and Anthony Paolucci on the roster, USC finished 30th at the national tournament.
Prior to his stint at USC, Goulding worked as a contract negotiator in the Air Force (2010-13), working on defense space systems, including an $8.8-billion satellite constellation that provided advanced missile warnings. He served a seven-month deployment to Iraq, where he was a contracting officer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, awarding contracts for a variety of major training missions. During his Air Force career, Goulding also spent three years as a contract manager in Albuquerque, N.M. (2007-10).
Goulding, who has competed in several mini tours, played on the eGolf Professional Tour in 2013.
As a member of the Academy's golf team, Goulding was a two-time team captain (2006, 2007) and three-time MVP (2005, 2006, 2007). He did not miss an event in four years, posting 15 top-10 finishes and accounting for the team's top finish in more than 25 events. A two-time all-conference selection, he completed his final three years with stroke averages of 72.8 (senior), 73.0 (junior) and 72.9 (sophomore).
He fired a career-best 209 -- a mark ranked among the top-15 in Academy history -- at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate during his senior year, while registering personal-best rounds of 66 twice (2005 BYU Cougar Classic, 2006 Wolf Pack Classic). He won the 2004 Troy Invitational and placed within the top-three of every Service Academy Golf Classic (second in 2006; third in 2003, 2004, 2005).
"We are very fortunate to have Tyler returning to the Falcons," Koury said. "He comes to us from one of the best programs in the country and we will count on his military experience, professional and amateur golf experience and elite-level recruiting to elevate our program."
A native of Tracy, Calif., Goulding graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2007, with a degree in systems engineering management. He earned a master's of business administration from Colorado State University in 2010.
