Smith Hires Cornelius As Assistant Coach
July 10, 2024 | Men's Golf
STARKVILLE – Head men's golf coach Dusty Smith announced that Kyle Cornelius has been hired as the Bulldogs' new assistant coach on Wednesday. Cornelius spent the 2023-24 season on staff at Charlotte.
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In his lone season with the 49ers, Cornelius helped the program claim three top-five finishes as a team while recording 19 individual rounds in the 60s. His tenure saw Conor Gough play at the NCAA Regionals as an individual and Justin Matthews earn exemption into a PGA Tour event.
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"We are so excited to welcome Kyle into our golf program," Smith said. "Kyle is one of the bright young coaches in our profession right now that is going to bring us so much positive energy, an incredible work ethic and a standard of excellence. He is going to be a great addition to the culture that has been created here. I am looking forward to working with him, learning from him and continuing to build the program into what we know it can be."
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Prior to Charlotte, he spent one season at Troy, his alma mater, as a graduate assistant. While there, Cornelius worked with both the men's and women's teams. In 2023, the Trojan men reached the National Golf Invitational tournament after advancing to match play at the Sun Belt Championships for the first time since 2017. They also were represented by an individual at the NCAA Regionals while breaking or tying school records for the lowest 36-hole and lowest 54-hole team totals.
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The Trojan women set program records for 18-hole, 36-hole and 54-hole totals and collected six top-10 team finishes.
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"First, I want to thank Dusty for this opportunity," Cornelius said. "He has built one of the best programs in the country, and I'm super excited to be a part of it. I can already tell he has put together a great culture here, and it is easy to see why he is great at what he does. I'm looking forward to getting to Starkville and getting to work."
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Cornelius' playing career ended in 2022. He posted a 74.81 stroke average in his final campaign with two top-10 finishes. He was also tabbed a GCAA All-America Scholar.
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For more information on the Bulldog men's golf program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateMG."
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In his lone season with the 49ers, Cornelius helped the program claim three top-five finishes as a team while recording 19 individual rounds in the 60s. His tenure saw Conor Gough play at the NCAA Regionals as an individual and Justin Matthews earn exemption into a PGA Tour event.
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"We are so excited to welcome Kyle into our golf program," Smith said. "Kyle is one of the bright young coaches in our profession right now that is going to bring us so much positive energy, an incredible work ethic and a standard of excellence. He is going to be a great addition to the culture that has been created here. I am looking forward to working with him, learning from him and continuing to build the program into what we know it can be."
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Prior to Charlotte, he spent one season at Troy, his alma mater, as a graduate assistant. While there, Cornelius worked with both the men's and women's teams. In 2023, the Trojan men reached the National Golf Invitational tournament after advancing to match play at the Sun Belt Championships for the first time since 2017. They also were represented by an individual at the NCAA Regionals while breaking or tying school records for the lowest 36-hole and lowest 54-hole team totals.
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The Trojan women set program records for 18-hole, 36-hole and 54-hole totals and collected six top-10 team finishes.
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"First, I want to thank Dusty for this opportunity," Cornelius said. "He has built one of the best programs in the country, and I'm super excited to be a part of it. I can already tell he has put together a great culture here, and it is easy to see why he is great at what he does. I'm looking forward to getting to Starkville and getting to work."
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Cornelius' playing career ended in 2022. He posted a 74.81 stroke average in his final campaign with two top-10 finishes. He was also tabbed a GCAA All-America Scholar.
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For more information on the Bulldog men's golf program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateMG."
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