1993, '95, '97, '98, `04, '08 Patriot League Coach of the Year
One of the most respected coaches in the sport today, seven-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Pat Owen is in his 22nd season as the head coach of the Navy golf program.
In 2009, Owen was named the winner of the Labron Harris Sr. Award presented by E-Z-GO in cooperation with The PGA of America and the Golf Coaches Association of America. The Harris Award is presented to the college or high school coach and PGA Professional whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of the game and who represents the finest qualities the game has to offer.
"Pat Owen is not only an outstanding PGA Professional, but also a truly great leader, mentor and role model to the Naval Academy's Midshipmen ... golfer and non-golfer alike," said Col. Dick Johns, USA (Ret.), Executive Director of the Middle Atlantic Section PGA. "Knowing that he is so deserving of this recognition, the entire Middle Atlantic PGA `family' is extremely proud of Pat!"
Owen follows in the footsteps of past Labron Harris Award recipients Jay Hardwick (Virginia Tech), Devon Brouse (Purdue), the late Rod Myers (Duke), Herb Page (Kent State) and Jim Brown (Ohio State).
In February of 2010, Owen was invited to appear before the Maryland General Assembly where he was presented proclamations from Speaker of the House of Delegates Mike Busch along with Retired Marine Corps Colonel Senator John Astle, lauding him for his efforts in earning the national award and serving as both a teacher and role model to the thousands of Midshipmen who pass through the Academy. During his tenure at the Academy, Owen has garnered Patriot League Coach-of-the-Year honors seven times (1993, '95, '97, '98, `04, '08 and `09), including the spring of 2008 when he led the Mids to their fifth Patriot League Tournament title in the last decade. Additionally, he earned NCAA District II Coach-of-the-Year recognition in 1996.
Owen has led the Midshipmen to five NCAA Regional appearances, including five since 1998. In the spring of 1998, he guided the Mids to a fifth-place finish at the Eastern Championship and their first NCAA Regional appearance. Anchored by one of the most successful golfers in the program's history in All-American Aaron Wright, Navy finished 19th at the East Regional held at Melrose Golf Course in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Just three years after Wright's graduation from the Academy, Owen landed a recruit who would go on to be one of the top young amateur players in the country and lead the Mids to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances. Billy Hurley, a member of the 2005 Walker Cup team, came to the Academy during the 2000-01 academic year and quickly made a name for himself. But it wasn't until the summer of 2003 that he gained national attention, where he battled to the No. 2 seed in the U.S. Amateur. A four-time All-Patriot League selection and the 2004 Patriot League MVP, Hurley became the first golfer to receive the Academy's Thompson Trophy Cup, presented to that midshipman who has done the most during the year to promote athletics at the Naval Academy. The recipient of the 2004 Byron Nelson Award, he was one of the first two players to be named to the 2004 Palmer Cup and became the first player to represent a service academy in the annual Ryder Cup-style competition. In addition, he was voted to serve as captain by his peers. Hurley was named an Academic All-American, in addition to being named the Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the year following his senior campaign.
Six Navy players have won the Patriot League individual crown since 1997, including Erich Schoen who paced the field with his 7-over par, 223 at the Saucon Valley Golf Club in the Lehigh Valley in 2008.
Additionally, Navy has had four players earn Patriot League Rookie of the Year accolades in the last six years. Including current senior Peter Reilly, a two-time All-Patriot League performer, who earned the rookie title following a sixth-place finish in 2009. Meanwhile, sophomore David Hall put together a near flawless performance at the 2011 championship which earned him a second-place finish and is the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
Prior to being named head coach at Navy in 1991, Owen served as an assistant coach for the Midshipmen for four years. Outside of his golfing duties, Owen has served as a board member of the Annapolis Touchdown Club since 2004 and accepted the position of treasurer in 2008. The club promotes youth sports in the greater Annapolis area and helps to provide opportunities for young people to compete in athletics.
Owen is a 1981 graduate of Johns Hopkins, where he served as captain of the golf team his senior year. After turning pro, Owen earned national recognition with the highest score on the PGA of America's Business School exam. In addition to his coaching duties, Owen is the golf pro at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course. Owen and his wife, Karen, are the parents of a son, Patrick, and daughter, Noelle, and reside in Annapolis.
