JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman director of golf Randy Wylie has announced the addition of Catherine Duggan as Carson-Newman women's golf's interim head coach for the spring season.
"I'm very excited, Duggan said. "I've had an opportunity to do two nine-hole practice rounds with them. Everybody is very interesting, and I think the sky is the limit for us."
Duggan is a graduate of Barry College in Miami, FL with a B.A. in French and English. She actively played on the LPGA for twelve seasons (1972-1984). She fired her career-low round of 67 during her first year on the tour at the 1972 Corpus Chisti Civitan Open, while her career-best finish, a second-place tie, came two years later at the 1974 Sacramento Classic.
"I think the most important thing about any kind of golf is to learn that you are not a machine, and you have to keep your head regardless of how well you're playing," Duggan said. "If you play great, or are really stumbling around, you can always come back from whatever situation you are in."
After her playing days, Duggan became a golf instructor providing private instruction at several different golf courses throughout Tennessee. Since 2013, she has been part of the LPGA teaching division.
"I think the challenge in coaching is to see each person as an individual," Duggan said. "When I taught golf, it was more technical, like your swing and stuff. Coaching is a bigger circle. Technically the women have their own golf professionals. Randy Wylie and his father John are tremendous teachers and I think some of the women have their own instructors at home as well. You don't want to step on that. The rest of it is paying attention to who they are, how they relate to the trials and tribulations of a golf course and help them harness their strengths so they can do the best they can."
Duggan holds the fastest round in professional tournament golf in a twosome. She has also been inducted into the Barry College Sports Wall of Fame.
Carson-Newman women's golf begins the spring season in Hilton Head, S.C for the Battle at Hilton Head. The two-day event will be played at the Robert Trent Jones course at the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort.
