Ally McDonald - Women's Golf Coach

Ally McDonald

Title:
Volunteer Assistant Coach

One of the top golfers in Mississippi State program history stayed with the Bulldogs following graduation, as Ally McDonald serves as the program’s volunteer assistant coach.

McDonald works with the Bulldogs when back in the Magnolia State during breaks from her professional career on the LPGA Tour.

The Fulton, Miss., native earned her LPGA Tour card this season after finishing second on the Symetra Tour money list. Lauded by hall of famer Juli Inkster as a rookie to watch on the LPGA Tour, McDonald showed her potential in August, 2017, as she tied for 16th at the RICOH Women’s British Open.

McDonald made the move to the top stage of women’s golf by earning 12 Top 15 finishes and eight Top 10 showings on the Symetra Tour.

She stays on the Bulldogs’ staff after a stellar four-year career in the Maroon and White that saw her earn WGCA All-America honors three times. She also notched three first team All-SEC selections along with an SEC All-Freshman Team honor in 2012.

During her heralded career, McDonald claimed five tournament titles, second-most in program history, while also helping the Bulldogs to four team event titles and the program’s first two NCAA Championship appearances.

McDonald guided MSU to NCAA Regional berths each of her last three seasons. In 2014, her junior campaign, she finished fourth at the Central Regional as the Bulldogs claimed third as a team and advanced to the championship.

She shot a four-round 279 to help the Bulldogs finish sixth in their second NCAA Championship appearance.

A year earlier, she guided State to a 24th-place finish in its first NCAA Championship berth by tying for 10th place on the individual leaderboard. State earned a spot in the championship field by finishing third in the Central Regional in Norman, Okla., with a school-record 22-under 818. McDonald claimed the individual region title with a 10-under 206, a score that ranked first in school history until she shot a 13-under 197 at the 2014 Schooner Fall Classic.

McDonald wrapped her career posting eight of the program’s 11-lowest 54-hole scores. She also claimed three of the Top 5 36-hole totals and four of MSU’s Top 5 lowest individual rounds.

During her four seasons she posted three of the Top 4 single-season scoring averages en route to claiming the school’s career average. She also boasts the program bests for rounds in the 60s, par or better rounds and birdies for both season and career.

While re-writing the MSU record books on the course, McDonald also excelled in the classroom, claiming WGCA Academic All-America laurels each of her four years.

McDonald, who has earned multiple invites to play in the U.S. Women’s Open, helped the United States win the 2014 Curtis Cup. She also claimed the opportunity to play in the prestigious U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she advanced to the match play portion of the event.

She also played in a pair of North & South Amateur Tournaments, winning the evening in the 2012-13 year.

In her latest list of acomplishments, McDonald ended her LPGA season with a 13th place finish at the Evian Championship, landing her 67th on the money list for 2017.