Men's Golf
Kolton Lapa
- Title:
- Associate Head Men's Golf Coach
- Email:
- klapa@athletics.msstate.edu
- Phone:
- 662-325-2722
Kolton Lapa was hired as an assistant coach at Mississippi State on June 13, 2022. Following a successful first season, he was promoted to associate head coach on June 26, 2023. A member of the PGA Tour Canada with caddying experience on that circuit and the Web.com Tour, Lapa brought a wealth of knowledge to Starkville.
Lapa has made an immediate impact. Under Lapa and head coach Dusty Smith's leadership, the Bulldogs set school records for rounds in the 60s (43) and par or better rounds (119), surpassing the previous totals by wide margins. Lapa and Smith led State to three tournament titles in 2022-23 and took MSU back to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2008, winning the first NCAA Regional Championship in program history along the way.
Additionally, the Bulldogs shot three of the 10 lowest team rounds in program history and shot two of the top four 54-hole team totals, breaking the school record for both. State's nine top-five finishes as a team were one shy of the school record set in 2012-13. Lapa walked the course with Hunter Logan as he shot a 12-under 204 at the Mossy Oak Collegiate to finish tied for third. He's also worked closely with Garrett Endicott, who was a SEC All-Freshman Team selection and a PING Honorable Mention All-American.
Lapa has a major role in State's recruiting efforts, particularly overseas when drawing international players. Since his arrival the Bulldogs have signed transfer Alejandro Pedryc (Poland), the No. 2 Mexican junior in Alejandro Fierro and Division II national champion Josep Serra (Spain).
Prior to joining the Bulldogs, Lapa coached the women’s teams at Nebraska and Denver where he helped both programs set single-season school records for team stroke average and claim team tournament titles.
As the associate head coach at Nebraska, he helped the Huskers to a school-record team stroke average (298.96) in 2018-19 and three top-five finishes, including Nebraska’s first team tournament title since the 2013-14 campaign at the 2019 Westbrook Spring Invitational.
Lapa helped Kate Smith post the best individual stroke average in school history (73.52), while Vanessa Bouvet (3rd), Kirsten Baete (T-6th) and Megan Whittaker (11th) all posted some of the best season stroke averages by freshmen in school history that year. Lapa walked alongside Baete for all 18 holes of her then-career-low round (66).
In Lincoln, he was the team’s lead recruiter and secured commitments from a pair of international Top 1000 WAGR players.
Prior to his time in Nebraska, Lapa spent two seasons as the assistant coach for the women’s team at Denver. In 2017, the Pioneers won the Summit League title, and they finished as runners-up in 2018. In both seasons, Denver qualified for NCAA Regional play. In just two seasons at Denver, Lapa helped coach Pioneer golfers to seven All-Summit League honors, including four first-team awards and saw Denver set a school record for team stroke average at 296.06 in 2017-18.
From September to November 2017, Lapa stepped in as Denver’s interim head coach. Under his guidance, the Pioneers won the GolfWeek Invitational and the Ron Moore Invitational. They also opened the season by defeating four top-25 teams at the Dick McGuire Invitational before finishing fourth at the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational in San Antonio. The Pioneers climbed as high as No. 18 under his leadership.
On the recruiting front, Lapa assisted in the signing of a Minnesota High School state champion and a transfer who earned All-Summit League honors in her first season at DU. Denver’s 2018-19 freshman class included a pair of California golfers ranked among the top 50 nationally in the GolfWeek recruiting rankings.
He competes on the PGA Tour Canada and has also served as a caddy on the PGA Tour Canada and Web.com Tour. He won the Westminster Open and the SwingThought Tour in 2021 and has played in two Korn Ferry Tour events.
Lapa played his collegiate golf at Nebraska for one season before returning to his home state as a transfer to Arizona. He closed his career in 2015-16 with four top-20 finishes including a pair of top-10 performances on his way to a 74.81 stroke average for the Wildcats. Lapa was a team captain at Arizona as a junior and senior and was also a member of Arizona’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2015-16.
He was chosen to play in the PGA Tour Northern Trust Collegiate Challenge, representing Arizona while partnering with PGA Tour player Ricky Barnes. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona in 2016 after majoring in economy and industry.
As a freshman at Nebraska, Lapa set the school’s 54-hole scoring record by a freshman (211) at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-23, 2012). He captured Big Ten Golfer-of-the-Week honors on Oct. 24, 2012, and again on Feb. 27, 2013, after tying for fifth at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. He also tied for 22nd individually at the 2013 Big Ten Championships. He led Nebraska with a 74.27 stroke average over 33 rounds as a freshman.
He joins his wife Lauren Whyte, the Bulldog women’s assistant coach, in Starkville. The two were married in December 2021.
Lapa has made an immediate impact. Under Lapa and head coach Dusty Smith's leadership, the Bulldogs set school records for rounds in the 60s (43) and par or better rounds (119), surpassing the previous totals by wide margins. Lapa and Smith led State to three tournament titles in 2022-23 and took MSU back to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2008, winning the first NCAA Regional Championship in program history along the way.
Additionally, the Bulldogs shot three of the 10 lowest team rounds in program history and shot two of the top four 54-hole team totals, breaking the school record for both. State's nine top-five finishes as a team were one shy of the school record set in 2012-13. Lapa walked the course with Hunter Logan as he shot a 12-under 204 at the Mossy Oak Collegiate to finish tied for third. He's also worked closely with Garrett Endicott, who was a SEC All-Freshman Team selection and a PING Honorable Mention All-American.
Lapa has a major role in State's recruiting efforts, particularly overseas when drawing international players. Since his arrival the Bulldogs have signed transfer Alejandro Pedryc (Poland), the No. 2 Mexican junior in Alejandro Fierro and Division II national champion Josep Serra (Spain).
Prior to joining the Bulldogs, Lapa coached the women’s teams at Nebraska and Denver where he helped both programs set single-season school records for team stroke average and claim team tournament titles.
As the associate head coach at Nebraska, he helped the Huskers to a school-record team stroke average (298.96) in 2018-19 and three top-five finishes, including Nebraska’s first team tournament title since the 2013-14 campaign at the 2019 Westbrook Spring Invitational.
Lapa helped Kate Smith post the best individual stroke average in school history (73.52), while Vanessa Bouvet (3rd), Kirsten Baete (T-6th) and Megan Whittaker (11th) all posted some of the best season stroke averages by freshmen in school history that year. Lapa walked alongside Baete for all 18 holes of her then-career-low round (66).
In Lincoln, he was the team’s lead recruiter and secured commitments from a pair of international Top 1000 WAGR players.
Prior to his time in Nebraska, Lapa spent two seasons as the assistant coach for the women’s team at Denver. In 2017, the Pioneers won the Summit League title, and they finished as runners-up in 2018. In both seasons, Denver qualified for NCAA Regional play. In just two seasons at Denver, Lapa helped coach Pioneer golfers to seven All-Summit League honors, including four first-team awards and saw Denver set a school record for team stroke average at 296.06 in 2017-18.
From September to November 2017, Lapa stepped in as Denver’s interim head coach. Under his guidance, the Pioneers won the GolfWeek Invitational and the Ron Moore Invitational. They also opened the season by defeating four top-25 teams at the Dick McGuire Invitational before finishing fourth at the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational in San Antonio. The Pioneers climbed as high as No. 18 under his leadership.
On the recruiting front, Lapa assisted in the signing of a Minnesota High School state champion and a transfer who earned All-Summit League honors in her first season at DU. Denver’s 2018-19 freshman class included a pair of California golfers ranked among the top 50 nationally in the GolfWeek recruiting rankings.
He competes on the PGA Tour Canada and has also served as a caddy on the PGA Tour Canada and Web.com Tour. He won the Westminster Open and the SwingThought Tour in 2021 and has played in two Korn Ferry Tour events.
Lapa played his collegiate golf at Nebraska for one season before returning to his home state as a transfer to Arizona. He closed his career in 2015-16 with four top-20 finishes including a pair of top-10 performances on his way to a 74.81 stroke average for the Wildcats. Lapa was a team captain at Arizona as a junior and senior and was also a member of Arizona’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2015-16.
He was chosen to play in the PGA Tour Northern Trust Collegiate Challenge, representing Arizona while partnering with PGA Tour player Ricky Barnes. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona in 2016 after majoring in economy and industry.
As a freshman at Nebraska, Lapa set the school’s 54-hole scoring record by a freshman (211) at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-23, 2012). He captured Big Ten Golfer-of-the-Week honors on Oct. 24, 2012, and again on Feb. 27, 2013, after tying for fifth at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. He also tied for 22nd individually at the 2013 Big Ten Championships. He led Nebraska with a 74.27 stroke average over 33 rounds as a freshman.
He joins his wife Lauren Whyte, the Bulldog women’s assistant coach, in Starkville. The two were married in December 2021.
MEN'S GOLF | NCAA Post-Round 1 - 5/16/23
Tuesday, May 16
Dusty Smith Press Conference - 5/7/21
Friday, May 07
Ford Clegg OWCC
Friday, March 26
Garrett Johnson's OWCC Interview
Thursday, March 25
