WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Devon Brouse spent 45 years as a head coach, spanning six decades (1978-2022). His career landed him in both the Golf Coaches Association of America's Hall of Fame (2009) and the Women's Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2012), making him the only coach in history to earn both honors. In his 25th and final season guiding Purdue Women's Golf, he went out with a bang by leading the Boilermakers to a 12th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. While he may be retiring as a head coach, Brouse left a legacy that will remain in the college golf world for decades to come.
"It has been a true pleasure and honor to lead the golf programs at my alma mater, Purdue, after a 20-year stint coaching North Carolina," said Brouse. "Being around great champions and leaders in my 45 years of coaching has been a learning experience for me and has allowed me to share my experience with our students. I can't imagine a career that could have been as rewarding as mine."
Over his career, beginning with 20 seasons at North Carolina before returning to Purdue for another 25 years, Brouse was an eight-time conference coach of the year while leading his programs to 12 league titles. He coached 110 all-conference selections, including 66 All-Americans. Brouse's teams captured 113 tournament titles, while advancing to the NCAA Championships 40 times. Honored as the country's best coach, Brouse was tabbed the national coach of the year by the NGCA and Golfweek in both 2006 and 2010.
"Devon Brouse achieved an extraordinary level of excellence in leading men's and women's golf programs during his more than 40 years as a head coach," said Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Mike Bobinski. "He has long been recognized nationally in the golf community as one of its most knowledgeable and influential voices. Purdue Athletics, countless student-athletes and the Lafayette golf community have all benefited from Coach Brouse's leadership and commitment to success in every aspect of his career. Fittingly, the Boilermakers added one more achievement to his outstanding legacy with this season's trip to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships. We wish Devon and Kathy the very best in this next chapter of their lives and look forward to welcoming them back home to campus in the years ahead."
A 1971 graduate of Purdue, Brouse led his alma mater to national prominence. He coached both the men's and women's programs for 15 years before focusing on the women's team for the past decade. On the women's side, the Boilermakers earned a spot in the NCAA Championships 18 times throughout program history. All appearances have been under Brouse, making Purdue one of only seven programs to advance to the final stage at least 18 times since the start of the 21st century. In 2009, Brouse coached Maria Hernandez to the NCAA individual championship, a first for Purdue and for the Big Ten. One year later, the 2010 Boilermakers captured the national championship with the second-lowest four-round team score in NCAA Championships history to win the first national championship by a northern-based school. Purdue became one of 11 school to have won both team and individual titles.
"It's difficult to convey the tremendous impact Coach Devon Brouse has had on Purdue's golf programs and golf complex," said Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator, Nancy Cross. "When we enticed him and his wife Kathy to return to their alma mater, it was because of his prodigious vision of success – and he delivered. In the past 25 years, without question, Devon is Purdue's most successful coach with a national championship, three top-four finishes, and a dozen top 12-finishes, in addition to a graduation rate of nearly 100 percent. While our mission is to win at the highest level and graduate, Devon's hallmark was his commitment to forcing each one of his student-athletes to grow, to push him or herself beyond what each believed capable, to be self-reliant, and most of all to be resilient. I am so grateful to Devon and Kathy for their commitment to our Boilermaker student-athletes and for putting Purdue golf on the map. I wish them both the best in this next chapter, because we all know there is no 'retirement' in Devon."
In terms of individual national recognition, several of Brouse's golfers received national accolades. Hernandez won the Honda Sports Award and PING/NCAA National Player of the Year after her national title in 2009. Hernandez, Maude Aimee LeBlanc, Paula Reto and August Kim all earned First Team All-America honors. Overall, Brouse's players earned 66 All-America awards.
Brouse was instrumental in the development of several individual players who achieved great success at both the collegiate and professional levels. Under his tutelage, Brouse mentored two NCAA individual champions (Maria Hernandez and John Inman), a Fred Haskins Award Winner (John Inman), a Ben Hogan Award Winner (Mark Wilson), two Palmer Cup participants (Max Harris and Lee Williamson), two Walker Cup selections (Frank Fuhrer and Tom Scherrer) and a Solheim Cup selection (Christel Boeljon). Two of his former golfers won LET tournaments (Boeljon and Hernandez), four of his pupils (Davis Love III, John Inman, Tom Scherrer and Mark Wilson) won titles on the PGA Tour and Patrick Moore was the leading money winner on the 2002 Buy.com Tour. In addition, Brouse coached 10 World Amateur selections (John Inman, Shiv Kapur, Maximo Kopp, Santiago Russi, Christel Boeljon, Myrte Eikenaar, Stefani Endstrasser, Maria Hernandez, Thea Hoffmeister and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc).
Brouse's golfers set the pace for the Big Ten Conference. Under his guidance, Purdue had seven Big Ten Players of the Year, seven Big Ten Freshmen of the Year and 35 first team All-Big Ten selections. The Boilermakers took home the first seven Mary Fossum Awards in Big Ten history, awarded for low-stroke season stroke average in the conference. Reto closed the streak in 2013, averaging 72.83 strokes per round through the Big Ten Championships and becoming the sixth straight Boilermaker to claim medalist honors. In 2012, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon was the recipient of the Mary Fossum Award after winning her second Big Ten medal. In 2008, Hernandez turned in the best 72-hole score in conference history, firing a 281 at the Big Ten Championships to earn medalist honors. In 2016, Kim set the Big Ten 54-hole record at The Fort Golf Resort in Indianapolis, firing a nine-under, 207, and Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri continued the championship tradition in 2019, tying for medalist honors at TPC River's Bend to become the ninth conference champion in program history.
In addition to their accolades on the course, the Boilermaker golfers brought home a wealth of honors in the classroom as well. Purdue earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award for posting a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) among the top 10 percent of their sports, marking the program's first such honor. In Brouse's tenure, the Boilermakers collected 29 WGCA All-American Scholar awards, 77 Academic All-Big Ten honors and eight Big Ten Distinguished Scholar certificates.
Brouse leaves a lasting impact on the future of Purdue Golf thanks to his commitment to having one of the best college golf facilities in the country. In addition to his coaching duties for both the men's and women's golf teams at Purdue, Brouse was responsible for overseeing operations for the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. With the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex giving Purdue two of the top courses in the state of Indiana as well as all of college golf, Brouse recognized the need for an indoor facility to keep the Boilermakers on top of their games. This led to the Tom Spurgeon Golf Training Center, an 11,400-square-foot center that includes an indoor putting green, a swing-analysis video computer system and multiple heated hitting bays, as well as team locker rooms, a golfer lounge, and coaches' offices. Continuing to keep Purdue's golf facilities at the top, Brouse has been instrumental in the development and concept of the future Pete Dye Clubhouse. The new clubhouse, scheduled to begin construction later this year, has been made possible thanks to a generous $20 million gift from golf alumnus Sam Allen and his wife, Purdue alumna Marsha Allen.
While Brouse decided that now is the time for a well-deserved retirement, his legendary career will not be forgotten. He built a successful career that spanned two decades before returning home to West Lafayette and taking Purdue Golf to another level, piling up accolades along the way. Brouse made a difference for Purdue and its student-athletes on and off the course. His hard work and dedication to Purdue lived up to what it truly means to be a Boilermaker.
Coaching Highlights
"It has been a true pleasure and honor to lead the golf programs at my alma mater, Purdue, after a 20-year stint coaching North Carolina," said Brouse. "Being around great champions and leaders in my 45 years of coaching has been a learning experience for me and has allowed me to share my experience with our students. I can't imagine a career that could have been as rewarding as mine."
Over his career, beginning with 20 seasons at North Carolina before returning to Purdue for another 25 years, Brouse was an eight-time conference coach of the year while leading his programs to 12 league titles. He coached 110 all-conference selections, including 66 All-Americans. Brouse's teams captured 113 tournament titles, while advancing to the NCAA Championships 40 times. Honored as the country's best coach, Brouse was tabbed the national coach of the year by the NGCA and Golfweek in both 2006 and 2010.
"Devon Brouse achieved an extraordinary level of excellence in leading men's and women's golf programs during his more than 40 years as a head coach," said Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Mike Bobinski. "He has long been recognized nationally in the golf community as one of its most knowledgeable and influential voices. Purdue Athletics, countless student-athletes and the Lafayette golf community have all benefited from Coach Brouse's leadership and commitment to success in every aspect of his career. Fittingly, the Boilermakers added one more achievement to his outstanding legacy with this season's trip to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships. We wish Devon and Kathy the very best in this next chapter of their lives and look forward to welcoming them back home to campus in the years ahead."
A 1971 graduate of Purdue, Brouse led his alma mater to national prominence. He coached both the men's and women's programs for 15 years before focusing on the women's team for the past decade. On the women's side, the Boilermakers earned a spot in the NCAA Championships 18 times throughout program history. All appearances have been under Brouse, making Purdue one of only seven programs to advance to the final stage at least 18 times since the start of the 21st century. In 2009, Brouse coached Maria Hernandez to the NCAA individual championship, a first for Purdue and for the Big Ten. One year later, the 2010 Boilermakers captured the national championship with the second-lowest four-round team score in NCAA Championships history to win the first national championship by a northern-based school. Purdue became one of 11 school to have won both team and individual titles.
"It's difficult to convey the tremendous impact Coach Devon Brouse has had on Purdue's golf programs and golf complex," said Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator, Nancy Cross. "When we enticed him and his wife Kathy to return to their alma mater, it was because of his prodigious vision of success – and he delivered. In the past 25 years, without question, Devon is Purdue's most successful coach with a national championship, three top-four finishes, and a dozen top 12-finishes, in addition to a graduation rate of nearly 100 percent. While our mission is to win at the highest level and graduate, Devon's hallmark was his commitment to forcing each one of his student-athletes to grow, to push him or herself beyond what each believed capable, to be self-reliant, and most of all to be resilient. I am so grateful to Devon and Kathy for their commitment to our Boilermaker student-athletes and for putting Purdue golf on the map. I wish them both the best in this next chapter, because we all know there is no 'retirement' in Devon."
In terms of individual national recognition, several of Brouse's golfers received national accolades. Hernandez won the Honda Sports Award and PING/NCAA National Player of the Year after her national title in 2009. Hernandez, Maude Aimee LeBlanc, Paula Reto and August Kim all earned First Team All-America honors. Overall, Brouse's players earned 66 All-America awards.
Brouse was instrumental in the development of several individual players who achieved great success at both the collegiate and professional levels. Under his tutelage, Brouse mentored two NCAA individual champions (Maria Hernandez and John Inman), a Fred Haskins Award Winner (John Inman), a Ben Hogan Award Winner (Mark Wilson), two Palmer Cup participants (Max Harris and Lee Williamson), two Walker Cup selections (Frank Fuhrer and Tom Scherrer) and a Solheim Cup selection (Christel Boeljon). Two of his former golfers won LET tournaments (Boeljon and Hernandez), four of his pupils (Davis Love III, John Inman, Tom Scherrer and Mark Wilson) won titles on the PGA Tour and Patrick Moore was the leading money winner on the 2002 Buy.com Tour. In addition, Brouse coached 10 World Amateur selections (John Inman, Shiv Kapur, Maximo Kopp, Santiago Russi, Christel Boeljon, Myrte Eikenaar, Stefani Endstrasser, Maria Hernandez, Thea Hoffmeister and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc).
Brouse's golfers set the pace for the Big Ten Conference. Under his guidance, Purdue had seven Big Ten Players of the Year, seven Big Ten Freshmen of the Year and 35 first team All-Big Ten selections. The Boilermakers took home the first seven Mary Fossum Awards in Big Ten history, awarded for low-stroke season stroke average in the conference. Reto closed the streak in 2013, averaging 72.83 strokes per round through the Big Ten Championships and becoming the sixth straight Boilermaker to claim medalist honors. In 2012, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon was the recipient of the Mary Fossum Award after winning her second Big Ten medal. In 2008, Hernandez turned in the best 72-hole score in conference history, firing a 281 at the Big Ten Championships to earn medalist honors. In 2016, Kim set the Big Ten 54-hole record at The Fort Golf Resort in Indianapolis, firing a nine-under, 207, and Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri continued the championship tradition in 2019, tying for medalist honors at TPC River's Bend to become the ninth conference champion in program history.
In addition to their accolades on the course, the Boilermaker golfers brought home a wealth of honors in the classroom as well. Purdue earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award for posting a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) among the top 10 percent of their sports, marking the program's first such honor. In Brouse's tenure, the Boilermakers collected 29 WGCA All-American Scholar awards, 77 Academic All-Big Ten honors and eight Big Ten Distinguished Scholar certificates.
Brouse leaves a lasting impact on the future of Purdue Golf thanks to his commitment to having one of the best college golf facilities in the country. In addition to his coaching duties for both the men's and women's golf teams at Purdue, Brouse was responsible for overseeing operations for the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. With the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex giving Purdue two of the top courses in the state of Indiana as well as all of college golf, Brouse recognized the need for an indoor facility to keep the Boilermakers on top of their games. This led to the Tom Spurgeon Golf Training Center, an 11,400-square-foot center that includes an indoor putting green, a swing-analysis video computer system and multiple heated hitting bays, as well as team locker rooms, a golfer lounge, and coaches' offices. Continuing to keep Purdue's golf facilities at the top, Brouse has been instrumental in the development and concept of the future Pete Dye Clubhouse. The new clubhouse, scheduled to begin construction later this year, has been made possible thanks to a generous $20 million gift from golf alumnus Sam Allen and his wife, Purdue alumna Marsha Allen.
While Brouse decided that now is the time for a well-deserved retirement, his legendary career will not be forgotten. He built a successful career that spanned two decades before returning home to West Lafayette and taking Purdue Golf to another level, piling up accolades along the way. Brouse made a difference for Purdue and its student-athletes on and off the course. His hard work and dedication to Purdue lived up to what it truly means to be a Boilermaker.
Coaching Highlights
- 2010 NCAA Champions (Purdue women)
- 2011 NCAA runners up (Purdue women)
- 2013 NCAA third-place finish (Purdue women)
- 2009 NCAA Individual Champion (Maria Hernandez)
- GCAA Hall of Fame - Class of 2009
- WGCA Hall of Fame - Class of 2012
- University of North Carolina Golf Order of Merit - Class of 2013
- 2006 and 2010 NGCA National Women's Coach of the Year
- 2006 and 2010 Golfweek National Women's Coach of the Year
- 2006 Labron Harris Award Winner
- Five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2000, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
- Three-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year (1981, 1991, 1995)
- 1991 and 1995 District III North Coach of the Year
- 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010 Region Coach of the Year
- 40 NCAA Championship appearances
- Six Big Ten Titles (2000, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
- Six ACC Titles (1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1995, 1996)
- 10 Big Ten individual champions
- Six ACC individual champions
- 2001 NCAA Central regional champions (Purdue men)
- 2002 NCAA Central regional champions (Purdue men)
- 2006 NCAA Western regional champions (Purdue women)
- 66 All-American selections
- 110 All-Conference selections
- 113 Individual tournament titles
- 133 Team tournament titles
- 1984 NCAA individual champion (John Inman)