Women’s golf coach Blackwelder steps down after three seasons

UK women’s golf coach Myra Blackwelder will resign her position at the conclusion of the season in April, according to a news release. She coached the team for three seasons.

“This was not an easy decision, and I was honored to be given a chance to serve my alma mater and play a role in the process of rebuilding the program,” Blackwelder said in the release. “I will miss working with my players on a day-to-day basis, and watching them mature and grow as people. We have a very talented, young team, and I am confident that they will continue to improve, gain valuable experience, and develop into something special over the coming years.

“I am looking forward to returning to my teaching career which will allow me to have the flexibility to spend more time with my family.”

Blackwelder was a member of the UK women’s golf team in the 1970s. She played 13 years on the LPGA Tour and was the 1980 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. In 2007, she was named the third coach in the program’s history.

“I thank Myra for her efforts over the last three years,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said in the release. “During that time, she returned Kentucky women’s golf to postseason play and built a foundation for the future. I respect her decision to return to her teaching of young golfers and her desire to spend more time with her family. We wish her well.”

Her daughter, Mallory, was one of the stars of the team and advanced to the 2008 NCAA Championships West Regional under her mother’s tutelage. The Cats twice broke the school’s low-round record in 2009 and broke UK’s season scoring average by almost two strokes.

UK will open its coaching search after the season ends.

“We are committed to having all our programs compete on a conference and national level and that will be our focus moving forward,” Barnhart said.