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Matt Walton Named USC Men's Golf Assistant Coach

Nov 4, 2020

Matt Walton, a collegiate All-American with Division I coaching experience to complement a broad array of work with juniors and amateurs, has been named a USC Men's Golf Assistant Coach, first-year Head Coach J.T. Higgins announced today.
 
Walton comes to USC after one season as the men's golf assistant coach at Wichita State (2019-20) in which the Shockers won one regular-season event (NMSU/Herb Wimberly Invitational), posted one individual title and combined for another two individual top 10 finishes in the covid-shortened season.
 
The Shockers men's golf squad also posted the highest GPA (3.70) among all Wichita State teams, earned an American Athletic Conference Team Academic Excellence Award and seven of its eight golfers captured All-Academic conference honors.
 
"We are extremely excited to welcome Matt into the Trojan Family," Higgins said. "He is one of the brightest up-and-coming young coaches in the country. His work ethic, attention to detail and ability as a teacher and coach made him an ideal candidate for this position. Matt is going to make a great impact on our team and I could not be more excited to work together to bring championships to USC."
 
Said Walton: "It is a privilege and honor to join such a prestigious school and an athletic department as storied as USC's. I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Coach Higgins and excited to embark on a new era in Trojan men's golf. The program is steeped in tradition and I look forward to working with Coach Higgins to build on that foundation as we pursue Pac-12 and NCAA Championships."
 
Before joining Wichita State, Walton served as lead coach at Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy in Orlando, Fla., providing comprehensive training for some of the nation's top junior golfers. Prior to that he worked as an assistant professional for several years in Indiana.
 
Walton, a four-time national tournament qualifier at the NAIA and NJCAA levels, graduated in 2013 from University of Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Ky.), with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science.
 
He played his final two seasons of collegiate golf with the Patriots and helped them win back-to-back Mid-South Conference Championships in 2012 and 2013.
 
As a senior he twice earned conference golfer of the week honors and was named to the PING All-South Region squad. Cumberlands finished fifth in the 2012 NAIA National Championship and ninth in 2013.
 
Before transferring to Cumberlands, Walton played two seasons for Rend Lake College in Ina, Ill. The team took ninth at the 2010 NJCAA Division II National Championship. Walton qualified individually the following year and finished fifth to earn All-American second-team honors as well as PING All-Central Region team notice.
 
Walton, originally from Lytham St. Annes, England, has been married to his wife Carly for three years.