Sofie Aagaard Named Cal Women’s Golf Head Coach

WGOLF6/4/2024 11:06 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Athletics Hall Of Famer Returns To Alma Mater To Lead Program

BERKELEY – Sofie Aagaard, a California Athletics Hall of Famer who spent the last two seasons at the helm at Washington State, has been named the next head coach of the Cal women’s golf program, Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton announced Tuesday.

“I am incredibly honored and excited to be the next head women’s golf coach at Cal and I want to thank Athletic Director Jim Knowlton, Associate Athletic Director Jay John and the search committee for this opportunity,” Aagaard said. “It is with great pride that I come back to Cal to coach at my alma mater, following one of the best coaches in college golf history, coach Nancy McDaniel.”

Aagaard – a three-time NGCA All-American as a player at Cal from 2003-06 – will be the second head coach in program history. She takes the reins from McDaniel, the Golden Bears’ founding head coach, who recently announced her retirement following 29 seasons leading the team.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Sofie back to Berkeley as our new head women’s golf coach,” Knowlton said. “Sofie knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level as a student-athlete and coach at Cal, and her track record speaks for itself. She was mentored by a legend and has turned those experiences into successes at every stop along the way. We are thrilled to bring Sofie and her family back home.”

As a player under McDaniel, Aagaard helped lead the Bears to three consecutive top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships and finished her Cal playing career with a then-program record 74.2 stroke average. During that time, she also won gold (2004) and silver (2006) medals with the Swedish National Team at the World Amateur Team Championships and earned four more medals at the European Team Championships.

“We are so excited to welcome Sofie back to Cal,” McDaniel said. “As a decorated alum of the program and former assistant coach here, she understands what it takes to be a successful and balanced student-athlete at Cal. She has always set a high standard for herself that inspires those around her to follow. She will hit the ground running with her enthusiasm, experience and ingenuity.”

Following her collegiate playing career, Aagaard qualified to compete on the 2008 LPGA Tour and played in the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Women’s Opens. She earned four top-10 finishes on the Symetra LPGA Tour from 2007-12 and…