Ria Scott Named Virginia Women’s Golf Head Coach
Charlottesville, Va. – Virginia athletics director Carla Williams announced today (July 3) the hiring of Ria Scott as head coach of the Cavalier women’s golf team. Scott comes to Virginia after heading up the program at Oregon for the past nine seasons. She replaces Kim Lewellen, who led the UVA program the last 11 seasons before being named the head coach at Wake Forest in June.
Scott guided Oregon to NCAA postseason play in all nine of her seasons in Eugene. Prior to her arrival, Oregon hadn’t advanced to the NCAA Finals in 10 straight years.
“Ria brings with her an excellent coaching resume, playing background and appreciation for academic excellence that makes her a great fit for our program,” Williams said. “She has demonstrated the ability to develop both individual players and an entire program on a consistent basis. She has achieved that by being an outstanding teacher, program manager and strong recruiter.”
Scott’s teams produced seven of the top eight season scoring averages in school history, and each player in Oregon’s top-10 season scoring average category was coached by her.
Under Scott’s guidance, the Ducks have finished the season ranked no worse than 35th nationally on four separate occasions and have made a habit of being ranked in the top 25. Oregon has also posted 34 top-five team finishes since 2009, including eight tournament championships, and eight individual medalist honors.
“I believe in the academic mission of the University of Virginia and the trajectory in which this athletic department is headed,” Scott said. “I was incredibly impressed by Virginia’s commitment to its golf programs, shown by the investment in its new golf facility and the renovation scheduled for Birdwood Golf Course. I am excited to build on the strong foundation that Jan Mann, Kim Lewellen and our alumnae have set for our program. I am looking forward to working with our current and next generation of Hoos and am excited that current assistant coach Calle Nielson will remain a part of the program. I am committed to working tirelessly to make the University of Virginia proud.
“I have been blessed to work with some exceptional student-athletes in my 11-year coaching career and I hope each one of them knows that they have had a positive impact on me. I want to thank Carla Williams and Todd Goodale (UVA women’s golf sport administrator) for believing in me and for already valuing me as part of their team.”
During the 2016-17 season, Scott led the Ducks to the program’s first back-to-back NCAA Championships appearances since 1997-98, and the team recorded its best NCAA Regional finish, placing third at the Lubbock Regional. That performance came a year after the Ducks advanced to the match play portion of the 2016 NCAA Championships on their home course at the Eugene Country Club.
Oregon’s tie for fifth place at the 2016 NCAAs marked the best post-season performance in the program’s history. The Ducks also achieved their highest ranking since 2012 as Golfstat placed Oregon at No. 17 at the completion of the season. The team also put together seven even-par or better rounds on the season, good for the second most in school history.
Scott’s teams have exhibited consistent excellence in the classroom. Last year UO junior Petra Salko earned the first-ever CoSIDA First-Team All-District honor in program history while the entire team received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for academic achievement for the third year in a row. Four players were named to the 2018 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars team (minimum 3.5 grade point average).
During the 2014-15 season, Scott and the Ducks finished the season with a 292.66 season scoring average, blowing away the record that was set in the 2013-14 season (298.61) by almost six strokes. In addition to playing the best golf statistically in program history, UO wrapped up the year with two tournament victories in the spring season – Peg Barnard Invitational and Silverado Showdown – giving them two spring victories for the first time since the 2000 season. Behind Scott’s direction, the Ducks earned their best finish and score at the conference championships in program history with an 858 that gave them second place. Individually, Caroline Inglis became Oregon’s first Pac-12 Champion.
Scott joined the Oregon staff in 2009 after a two-year stint as the head coach at San Francisco. During her second season with the Dons, Scott was named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year as her team spent most of the spring ranked in Golfstat’s top-30.
Before becoming a coach, Scott played professionally around the world. Her professional highlights include appearances in the 2006 Women’s World Cup in South Africa and the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open. Scott was the first woman to compete in an Asian PGA event, competing in the 2004 DHL Philippine Open.
As a student-athlete at California, she led the Bears to the 2003 NCAA Championships and was a 2003 All-Pac-10 and 2002 All-Region honoree. As a senior co-captain in her final season, she helped the Bears win a school-record seven tournaments, capture Pac-10 and NCAA regional titles, and rank as high as second nationally. The two-time Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention selection also won the 2003 Anna Espenschade Award, presented to the top graduating female student-athlete at Cal.
As a prep, the Philippines native started the golf program at James Logan High School in Union City, Calif., where she captained the boys’ team her final three years. She won the 1997 California Junior Girl’s Championship at Pebble Beach less than four years after she picked up her first golf club.
Among various national and international events, she qualified for six USGA Championships – one U.S. Women’s Open, two U.S. Girl’s Junior, and three U.S. Women’s Amateur events. Scott advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2001 British Women’s Amateur. In addition, she competed for the Philippine National Team (1997-2002) and earned a gold medal in the 1997 Southeast Asian Games and a pair of bronze medals in the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games. Scott also played in two World Amateur Team Championships in 1998 (Chile) and 2000 (Germany) for the Philippine National Team.
Scott was on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Golf Coaches Association from 2012-2016 and most recently was the Associate Vice President from 2014-2016.
She is married to Drew Scott, a former collegiate and professional golfer and college coach at Rice University. They have two sons, Walker and Grant.