KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Former PGA TOUR member (2012-24) Derek Ernst is set to join Tennessee’s men’s golf coaching staff as associate head coach, head coach Brennan Webb announced Monday.
A former TOUR winner and standout collegiate golfer, Ernst brings a wealth of competitive knowledge to UT.
“I am very excited for Derek to begin his time here on Rocky Top,” said Webb. “His experience playing and winning at the highest levels of professional golf, with the best players in the world, will be an incredible asset for the players in our program.
“Derek’s contagious enthusiasm to pass on all he has learned to the players in our program struck me from our very first conversation. There really is no substitute for Derek’s experience in our game and I can’t wait for him to get started with the Vols.”
Ernst comes to Rocky Top after a year on the Oklahoma State coaching staff during the 2024-25 season in which he helped the Cowboys claim the 2025 NCAA Championship and Big 12 Championship titles.
Ernst also aided in the development of players individually, as three Pokes earned All-America honors in Ernst’s sole season in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Over the course of his professional career, Ernst made 134 PGA Tour starts, earning over $2.6 million and recording five top-25 finishes. His breakthrough came in 2013 when, in just his ninth career start, he won the Wells Fargo Championship in a playoff after entering the field as a Monday alternate.
Ernst competed in two major championships: the 2013 PGA Championship and the 2014 Masters. He added multiple strong performances throughout his career, including three top-25 finishes during the 2014–15 season and a tie for 21st at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open.
Before turning professional, the Clovis, California, native starred at UNLV, where he built one of the most decorated careers in the program’s history. A four-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, Ernst earned All-America honors multiple times and captured four individual titles during his collegiate tenure.
His four career victories and 71.80 scoring average place him among the top 10 all-time at UNLV.
Ernst and his wife, Laney, have two daughters: Daughtry and Decker.
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