CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams announced on Thursday (June 25) that Tony Markel Family Men’s Golf Head Coach Bowen Sargent has agreed to a contract extension that keeps him at UVA through the 2030 season.
“Coach Sargent has elevated the men’s golf program to national championship contention,” Williams said. “The young men in our program are excellent representatives of the University and Virginia Athletics. Bowen has made UVA a destination for the top talent in college golf. We’re excited to have him on board for the next four years and I’m excited to see the upward trajectory of the program continue.”
“I’m truly honored that Dr. Williams and President (Scott) Beardsley have placed their confidence in me to lead the golf program for another four years,” Sargent said. “It has been a joy to coach at Virginia for the past 22 years, and I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished together — so many program firsts made possible by the incredible support of our donors, alumni and athletic department staff. I’m excited to keep building on the recent success of Virginia golf. Wahoowa!”
Sargent has guided Virginia through its most successful era in the program’s history. UVA has won back-to-back ACC Championships, appeared in a school-record four-straight NCAA Championships and was the national runner-up at the 2025 NCAA Championship, the highest finish in program history. He has been named the ACC Coach of the Year each of the last two years (2025 & 2026) and this past season became the first Cavalier coach to earn the Williams Award which honors the national coach of the year in NCAA Division I men’s golf.
Virginia broke the program’s single season record with seven tournament wins in 2025-26 and was ranked in the top four of the Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings for the entire season, including 11 weeks in the top spot (Oct. 22 to March 4).
Three players from the 2025-26 squad joined the professional ranks, including PGA Tour University top-ranked player, Ben James, who finished tied for 23rd in his first major as a professional this past weekend at the U.S. Open. James was the sport’s fifth four-time, first team All-American and finished No. 1 in the PGA Tour U rankings. The top player in PGA Tour U is awarded a PGA Tour card. Teammates Paul Chang and Bryan Lee will make their professional debuts this week on PGA Tour Americas at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open presented by Syndeo this weekend.
Next week, Sargent will serve as a Co-Assistant Coach for Team USA at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup, held July 3-5 at Tralee Golf Links in West Barrow, Ireland.